In our area most birch trees are easily recognized by their white bark, but did you know that there are several species that actually do not have white bark at all?
Birches can be separated into two main categories - the white birch group and the sweet birch group. The white birches include the commonly known paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and gray birch (Betula populifolia) among others. The paper and gray birch are similar in color, but the paper birch is usually larger, single-trunked and the mature trees possess the pretty, peeling white bark that is so often seen in our New England woods. The gray birch, on the other hand, typically grows in smaller, multi-trunked clusters and it's mature grey-white bark does not peel. Both species have a dark reddish brown bark when the trees are young.
The sweet birch group has a much darker and rougher bark throughout their life span. The sweet birch (Betula lenta) has a wintergreen aroma on it's twigs and leaves, and the sap can be extracted to make birch beer. In general, birch trees are too small to be useful for lumber, but one species in this group, the yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis,) is slow growing and can get quite large (up to 100 feet). For this reason the yellow birch accounts for approximately 75% of birch lumber in the United States and can be used for plywood, furniture and veneer.
All birch trees are deciduous and their oval leaves turn to pretty shades of yellow and orange in the fall.
The peeling bark of a paper birch - it's quick to burn and doesn't rot easily making it a very useful material in the forest. It's important to know that if you peel the bark of a live tree, however, you will harm it.
White birch are so pretty during the winter months and are often seeing growing in clusters such as this.
Birch trees are beautiful in their natural environments, but if you have a white birch tree that needs to come down for one reason or another, the logs can be used to dress up an empty fireplace, or as a vase, candle holder or centerpiece - giving your tree new life for years to come.
