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A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
Yep, birch bark is very different than a maple trees bark. Birch bark, I believe, sheds off! 

Also a GREAT firestarter, as its basically just paper infused with tree sap (which basically is like candle wax in terms of combustibility)
gpt
Not tree sap. Oils. Basically, it's like paper infused with pine sap. Birch sap is basically over-diluted squash. Better for putting out a fire than starting one. But yes.

It's also good for making baskets and canoes.
But birch can also produce extremely thick bark more like cork. Especially weeping birch does this as it grows older. Dunno what triggers it, maybe it's growing too fast for the paper bark to keep up, so it forms cracks?