Birch, Yellow

This is the Yellow Birch, or Betula alleghaniensis. The largest and strongest of our native birches, it is often used in furniture making. Growing up to 60 feet tall, sometimes larger, the Yellow Birch and can live over 300 years. Its oily outer bark ignites easily, even when wet, and oil of wintergreen was once extracted from its twigs and inner bark. This tree has a short trunk with a broad, rounded crown and thrives in moist, cool sites, particularly around swamps, bogs, and lakes in the Upper Lake States and lower Midwest. It grows on wooded cliffs, often with eastern hemlock, but regeneration is severely limited by deer and moose browsing. The bark adds landscape beauty with its bronze tones, and fall foliage turns a pretty yellow. Sensitive to heat over 70°F, it tolerates shade and resists bronze birch borer but is somewhat vulnerable to other pests. The toothed leaves are 5 inches long, with twigs dotted light brown and fruit clusters that persist into winter.