Habitat

• the most widely distributed (east to west) of all North American birches
• northern North America, Labrador to Alaska, south into Northern Rocky Mountains, northern plains states and Pennsylvania
• zone 2

Habit and Form

• a deciduous, medium-sized tree
• 50' to 70' tall
• more or less pyramidal when young
• older trees become oval to rounded, with increasing irregularity in shape
• individuals have single trunks, but nurseries often grow them in groups of 3 or 4 ("clump birches") individual seedlings planted together in a common container
• fast growing, especially when young
• typically branched to a few feet above the ground in open exposures
• texture is medium

Summer Foliage

• alternate, ovate, simple leaves, 2" to 4" long and 1.5" to 3" wide
• often with an acuminate or pointed tip
• leaf base either acute or heart-shaped
• color is a dull, dark green above and paler on the underside

Autumn Foliage

• clear bright yellow
• typically dependable and showy

Flowers

• 2" to 4" long catkins, usually in 3's and some in pairs (male). Female catkins 1" to 1.5" long
• blooming in early spring
• prior to bloom, catkins are shorter
• little ornamental value

Fruit

• catkins, 1" to 1.5" long, composed of nutlets
• no ornamental importance

Bark

• young branches show smooth, reddish-brown bark with horizontal lenticels
• bark becoming papery, chalky white after about 4 seasons
• bark exfoliates or peels in strips to expose orange inner bark
• on very mature trunks, the white is mixed with rough, black patches
• probably the best white bark birch. The bark remains white longer than B. pendula and turns white relatively quickly on young branches.

Culture

• best adapted to cooler climates
• does poorly in high summer heat, especially root zone heat
• fairly soil adaptable, often found growing in sandy, gravely soils. Prefers well-drained, slightly acid sandy loam soils
• easy to transplant and establish from container or B&B
• not tolerant of pollution or difficult sites
• full sun
• avoid spring pruning to prevent bleeding

Landscape Use

• for decoration from showy bark on fall color
• as a lawn tree or specimen
• in parks, on campuses, generally not for inner city
• effective in small groupings
• shade seems to be light enough to allow turf to survive underneath

Liabilities

• bronze birch borer can be a serious problem and often hits trees just as they enter their peak in the landscape. Not as bad as B. pendula
• can get leaf miner, but not as badly as B. populifolia
• not tolerant of harsh conditions or heat
• bark can be slow to turn white for the impatient
• vandalism of the bark by carving of ones initials, leaving black scars

ID Features

• white bark that is chalky and exfoliates (compare to (B. pendula whose bark does not exfoliate)
• catkins in 2's or 3's and fatter than other 3-catkin species like B. nigra and B. pendula

Propagation

• by seed
• cuttings can be tricky to root and overwinter

Cultivars/Varieties

There is considerable variation across the geographic range, but few selections have made the leap to commercial acceptance or availability.

'Chickadee' - A fastigiate selection with good white bark.

'Snowy' (Snowy™) - A selection with handsome white bark and purported resistance to borers. Also appears to grow quickly as a young plant.