Birches (20-70 ft) have triangular green leaves with serrated edges that turn yellow and then fall in autumn. The bark on mature trees is white and peels in paper-like strips. Male and female catkins form in the spring.
Birches are common in the temperate and boreal forests of Canada and the northern United States.
Paper/White Birches are native to North America, while Silver Birches grow in Europe. Paper Birches thrive in moist soil at low to middle altitudes. They are one of the first trees to appear in burned areas. Bog (Swamp) Birches, a shrub (3-13 ft tall), and Water Birches (25-40 ft tall) grow around bogs and wet areas over many parts of North America. Unlike Paper Birches, Water Birches' brown bark doesn’t peel.
Did you know? Birch bark can be used as paper or to make baskets and canoes.
