White Birch Trees: Beautiful Bark, No Bite

Life123.com has an article about the history and uses of birch trees. To read the full article see below or click here.

White Birch Trees: Beautiful Bark, No Bite
By: Kim Willis

Birch trees have been long been a popular landscape choice. There are species of birch growing throughout North America, Europe and temperate Asia. Birch trees have a graceful shape, interesting bark and good fall color. They are not the best choice for all landscapes, but if the conditions are suitable, there are few trees prettier than a birch.

North Americans tend to think of birches as clumps of small trees with white, peeling bark. These clumps were widely planted as landscape trees before the arrival of the Bronze Birch Borer. This destructive beetle attacks and kills many types of birch trees, but white-barked birches from Europe are the most susceptible. However, there are many types of birch and some are very resistant to borers and are seldom attacked if they are healthy.

Birch trees are generally small, 20 to30 feet tall and pyramidal in shape. There are some weeping varieties. Birch leaves are thick, glossy and dark green in a rough triangle shape. There are some cultivated varieties with purple or reddish leaves. Birch leaves are lighter on the reverse side, have serrated edges and are arranged alternately. Some varieties have deeply lobed leaves with a lacy appearance. Fall color of birches is generally a good, clear yellow. Birch trees have both male and female flowers; the male flowers are long, dangling and generally in clusters of threes. The female flowers are much smaller and rounder. The pollen of birch trees is highly allergenic to people with seasonal allergies.

The bark of birch trees is the reason many are planted as landscape trees. When young, most birch trees have brown bark, but as some age they may get various shades of white, yellow or red bark that peels and curls, revealing contrasting colors beneath it.

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