365 Urban Species. #032: Paper Birch

[urbpan]

Urban species #032: Paper birch Betula papyrifera

A white birch tree is identifyable by even those uninterested in nature. The native North American species, paper birch, is found in the northernmost parts of the United States. The European white birch Betula pendula is widely introduced and the two species readily hybridize (the birch in the photo above may be a hybrid). Paper birch saplings are pioneer plants, often seen springing up on rocky roadcuts; it specializes in colonizing recently burned areas, and does not tolerate shade. Though favored for ornamental use, paper birch is very succeptable to diseases and pests, and urban birches tend to live very short lives.

Comments

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

I was recently told by a very earnest person that the black bands on the bark of the white birch is due to a pervasive fungus and that is not what the tree should really look like. I've tried looking it up and I must disagree as I can find nothing else to corroborate this. What do the Tree People here say?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I certainly haven't found anything like that in my research. The horizontal lines on the bark are breathing holes called lenticels, but I don't know about the black bands.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

I've heard nothing of this idea either.

[demedulce.livejournal.com]

I love those trees.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

Do you also have Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) there?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

We do, but I don't know anything about them. After looking them up just now, I realized that we have a real nice one at the sanctuary I work at. Not sure what their status in the city is.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

I know that they're not too common in urban areas around here, but there are a few; probably remnants from when the area was cleared.

They're a later successional species, more tolerant of shade and longer lived. They're fairly common in our mid-successional to late-successional forests.

If you can do this without causing issues with the sanctuary (or if you find another tree), break off a living twig and chew it for a minute. They have a nice, subtle wintergreen flavour, which the paper birch lacks.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I found (I think) a few more on the sanctuary, including this one.

[http://users.livejournal.com/purplebunnie_/]

There were about 20 birch trees at the playground when I was in kindergarten. Happy tree thoughts.