Updated
August 18, 2007
Betula
papyrifera
(Paper Birch, Canoe Birch, White Birch, Silver Birch)
Family: Betulaceae
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A Note from Wally: I grow
Betula papyrifera (Paper Birch, Canoe Birch, White Birch, Silver Birch) and many other Northwest
Native Plants here in my Nursery and Gardens in the Willamette Valley in
Western Oregon. I specialize in Northwest Native Plants and sell both
Wholesale and Retail, depending on quantity. I usually have plants
available year-round in one gallon containers and often in various other
container sizes and as Bare Root plants in the Winter months. This site is
intended as a reference for all who are interested in Northwest Native
Plants: amateur, professional – everyone. For more information, go to my
Home Page at www.nwplants.com and then
click on Plant Catalog
for current prices and availability. Be sure and then click on Plant
Sales for any bargains. If you buy in large quantities, check the Wholesale
Information Sites on my Home Page.
If you have any information about this species – stories, climates,
uses, propagation, etc. please contact me at plants@nwplants.com If I
publish your tips and information, I will credit you on the web and send
you a credit memo.
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(Click on painting for large view)
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Often seen in
Native American themed paintings by Bev Doolittle, the white bark of the
paper birch has long been a favorite subject for artists and gardeners
alike. The
elegant paper birch positively catches your eye when you come upon the
pure stands of snow white slender trees with long flowing branches. The
supple, slender twigs slightly droop so that they drift with the wind. In
the crowded forest, it is more common to see the birch growing as a
slender, narrow form but in the open the tree has an expansive crown that
begins branching near the base of the trunk. A fairly large tree, the
birch reaches a height between 70 to 100 feet and 14 to 24 inches in
diameter. The tree may grow with either a single or multi-stemmed trunk
and smooth coppery brown or papery white bark patterned with dark,
elongated horizontal pores called lenticels. The marvelous white bark of
mature trees peels off in thin sheets of waterproof paper. If you look
closely at the young twigs, you’ll sometimes be able to see small hairs
and a few crystalline-warty glands. The species name Betula is translated to mean “pitch,” while papyrifera is derived from the Greek word papyrus that means “paper,” and the Latin word firo that is translated into “to bear or carrying.” Therefore
papyrifera means “paper bearing.” Its graceful form and wonderful
white bark make paper birch a desired ornamental. With an open setting the
highly adaptable tree does well even in very harsh environments. |
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Habit: Paper birch leaves suspend alternately off the
long willowy twigs. The triangular to oval shaped leaves taper to sharp
points and are approximately 2 to 4 inches in length. If you examine the
leaf margin above the leaf base you’ll notice that the shallowly toothed
margins are doubly serrate. The dark green leaves are paler underneath
–- look for the tufts of hairs found at intersections of veins on the
underside of the leaf.
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The
separate male and female flowers are borne as pendulous catkins. Apetalous
(having no petals) catkins appear on the same tree in spring cascading
from the tips of paper birch branchlets. The male catkins begin forming in
the fall and become partially enlarged before growing dormant for the long
months of winter. Come spring the larger male catkins begin developing
again, lengthening to 3 or 4 inches when mature. Female catkins appear in
springtime along with the emergent foliage and mostly remain as erect
spikes that reach about 1 inch in length. The ripened brown cone-like
fruit can be found anytime from late August to November. Each fruit (strobilus)
has numerous scales sheathing the tiny winged seeds called nutlets. The
rounded nutlet wings are taller and wider than the seed itself. These
teeny seeds are often carried off by the wind as soon as they ripen.
The
young coppery birch can easily be confused with bitter
cherry (Prunus emarginata), but a quick check of the leaves will
determine the right species. Cherry leaves are oblong in outline and have
a bluntly tapered tip, while the paper birch leaf is more triangular in
shape and has a sharp pointed tip. If you happen to have a magnifying
lens, look for small glands positioned at the base of the cherry tree’s
leaf blade.
Habitat and Range:
Paper birch is one of North America’s most far-spread tree species. This
resilient species has evolved to flourish in cold climates. The
ever-present tree grows all across Canada and southern Alaska as well as
most northern states in the US. Some other paper birch populations can be
found in parts of Colorado, Montana, the Eastern Cascades, the Great Lakes
states, and North Carolina. You will find paper birch scattered among the
forested slopes of mountain ranges from low valleys to subalpine copses.
In Canada, the beautiful birch is found in the flat boggy muskegs of
boreal forests, and across its range it can persist in the saturated soils
of swamps and other wetlands. Well-drained sandy soils are favored by the
tree, but it tolerates a wide range of soil textures from gravel to silt
as well as organic bog or peat soils. In exposed areas the tree can form
pure stands, but in the shade of a forest it will only be found in
scattered openings. A pioneer species, the shade intolerant tree is one of
the first colonizers of fire disturbed or clear-cut lands. This avid
re-seeder rapidly pervades severely disturbed lands. The thick stands
provide cover and enrich the disturbed soil, which leads to the succession
of new shade tolerant species. There are many varieties of the paper birch
species. The tree is a genetically malleable species and hybridization
between different varieties is quite common.
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Ornamental
Values:
Commonly used in landscapes as a shade tree, the paper birch’s graceful
appearance and brilliant white bark make it a favored ornamental. Though,
you will have to wait approximately 10 to 12 years before the bark becomes
the tell-tale striking white color. Be careful where you plant this tree,
its roots love to invade water pipes and sewer lines. Paper birch is a
rather short-lived tree (in the tree world, that is) that can live up to
140 years. It has a shallow root system and typically reaches less than 2
feet beneath the soil surface. The deciduous foliage has a high
decomposition rate and rapidly forms deep rich soils.
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Native
Plant Gardening/Wildlife Habitat:
The birch canopy can be filled with an orchestra of birds including
sapsuckers, woodpeckers, and kinglets feeding upon insects or the tiny
nutritious seeds. Birch trunks house cavity-nesting birds such as
woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches.
You can often find yellow-bellied sapsuckers hopping up and down
the tree trunk, poking holes with their beaks to get a taste of the sap.
The open sap holes are revisited by clever hummingbirds and squirrels.
Various insects as well as swallow tail butterfly larvae regularly feed
upon the foliage. Paper birch bark is important to woodland creatures as
well. The bark is gathered by birds for nesting material and small mammals
feed on the leaves, twigs, and wood of the tree. Paper birch is important
browse for moose, deer, and snowshoe hares. Porcupines nibble on the
tender inner bark, and voles and shrews snatch up the seeds. The stands of
trees offer choice shelter for deer and elk.
Plant
communities that are home to paper birch may also include quaking
aspen (Populus
tremuliodes), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), black spruce
(Picea mariana), kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi), beaked
hazel (Corylus
cornuta), gooseberry (Ribes oxyacanthoides), red
elderberry (Sambucus
racemosa), blueberries (Vaccinium
species), bracken fern (Pteridium aqualinium), shineleaf (Pyrola
species), wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), raspberries
and blackberries (Rubus
species), green alder (Alnus crispa), Scouler
willow (Salix
scouleriana), and roses (Rosa
species).
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Restoration and
Mitigation Values: The
pioneering nature and ability to flourish on disturbed sites makes paper
birch a wonderful choice for some revegetation and restoration projects.
The inherent qualities of this species allow them to occupy lands that
would otherwise be considered uninhabitable by most plants and animals.
Projects involving mining spoils and other toxic sites may use the birch
to cleanse the soils and initiate the process of succession for other
native species. It tolerates wetland environments, but also does well in
drier upland habitat. |
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NOTE:
See
commercial availability on our Wholesale websites for BareRoot
and
Containerized
plants.
Historical and Cultural
Uses: This
valuable species was often used by different Native American peoples. The
bark was fashioned into baskets, storage containers, mats, baby carriers,
moose and bird calls, torches, household utensils, and not surprisingly
canoes. The strong, flexible wood was often worked into weapons such as
spears and bows and arrows. Commercially, paper birch is processed into
wood chips for the manufacture of pulp wood and fuel. The tough, durable
lumber is used to construct boxes, plywood, veneer and other ornaments.
The wood is simple to work with and readily accepts stains and finishes.
The bark is a favorite craft material and is often used to wrap candles.
Edible and Medicinal
Uses*: The
edible sap can be boiled down to make sweet syrup. The sap is also
collected to make wine, beer and soft drinks as well as health tonics.
Reportedly the Native Americans chewed birch gum resin, either for its
disinfectant properties or perhaps for a slightly energizing effect
produced by terpene compounds. In an emergency the tender inner bark can
be eaten.
* Please use
caution when preparing or eating any parts of a plant. Identification of
the species and knowledge of a plant’s toxicity are both essential
before using any plant species medicinally or otherwise. Please consult
with a heath professional before attempting to treat any ailment.
Propagation
Techniques:
Seeds
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The species is a good seed producer. Under good
growing conditions it may begin producing mature seed by age 15, but the
most prolific years of seed production averages from age 40 to age 70. To
gather seeds, collect the still green strobiles and spread them out to
dry. Once dry, place the fruits into a bag and shake or flail vigorously
to break the strobiles into individual seeds. Sift the shattered strobiles
through a screen or use a fanning motion to separate the seed from the
fruit debris. The seed has a thin coat and easily germinates once exposed
to light and warm temperatures. Germination is best in moist, shady spots
but the seedlings require a bit more sun for the first year. The seedlings
are best grown on humus seedbeds in moderate or full sunlight. You may
store the birch seeds in an airtight container at room temperature for
about 2 years, but for longer storage the seeds will have to be chilled.
The seeds will need to be kept at low moisture content for them to last
for any amount of time. If you are germinating stored seeds, they may
benefit from a pre-chilling treatment. The young seedlings should remain
in the beds for 2 years before transplanting them.
Vegetative
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Different techniques of vegetative propagation are
also an option for reproduction. Cuttings can be grown, but you must make
sure to gather the shoots at the right time. The shoots must be still
actively growing -- check to make sure the base of the shoot is just
beginning to become rigid. Gather 3- to 4-inch cuttings and dip in a
rooting hormone before placing in a well-drained medium. The species is
also reproduced by grafting, air layering, root cuttings, and tissue
culture.
Common Diseases:
Rust
is a common problem in nurseries and is brought about during cool, wet
weather. Look for small angular spots on the leaves and reddish yellow
pustules on the undersides of the leaf. By fall the entire leaf will be
black or brown. Rust can easily be treated with a fungicide application.
The
bronze birch borer is the only serious threat to natural populations, but
the insects will only kill trees already weakened by some other
disturbance. It is also possible to have a number of different bacterium
and fungi enter the tree through wounds and branch stubs. If root rot
fungus infects the root systems of surrounding trees, the birch roots are
susceptible to the disease if they come into contact with them. You will
notice the telltale signs of the disease by the appearance of cracks in
the bases of stems, collar cracks, and the whole tree may easily uproot.
For more information on native plant gardening or to
receive my monthly newsletter with
seasonal gardening tips, please visit my home page.
Any current plant sales are displayed on the home page too! My on-line
catalog gives further details about the retail and wholesale
availability of the native species I have for sale. If you’re in the
Salem, Oregon area,
stop
by and visit my nursery and its
wonderful
native garden displays.
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Thanks, and happy gardening!
Wally
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Thank
you to the following references for their invaluable information:
Plants
of the Pacific Northwest Coast
by Pojar and Mackinnon (1994)
Western
Forests, A National Audubon Society Nature Guide
by Stephen Whitney
(1985)
Plants
of the Pacific Northwest Coast
by Pojar and Mackinnon (1994)
Western
Forests, A National Audubon Society Nature Guide
by Stephen Whitney
(1985)
Flora
of the Pacific Northwest
by C.L. Hitchcock & A. Cronquist (1973)
Trees,
Shrubs, & Flowers to know in British Columbia & Washington
by C.P. Lyons (1995)
Collecting,
Processing and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants
by J.A. Young
and C.G. Young (1986)
Trees
to know in Oregon
by Oregon State University Extension Service &
Oregon Department of Forestry, Extension Circular 1450 (1995)
The
Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation from seed to tissue culture
by M.A. Dirr and C.W. Heuser, Jr. (1987)
Landscaping
for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest
by Russell Link, University of
Washington Press & Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
(1999)
US
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research
Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (2002, February) http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/
A
Boundary Waters Compendium http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/betulapap.html
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