Paper Birch (A Field Guide for TSA Campus Woods)

Paper Birch

Betula papyrifera

Summary ⁷

Betula papyrifera (Paper Birch, also known as White Birch and Canoe Birch) is a species of birch native to northern North America. It is the provincial tree of Saskatchewan and the state tree of New Hampshire.

Comments ⁸

Paper Birch is widely regarded as an attractive tree, largely because of its white bark that often peels away into strips. While it may be tempting to pull on these bark strips and collect them as souvenirs, this impulse should be resisted as it damages the tree, causing ugly black scars to develop. Paper Birch has an unusually broad range across Canada and northern United States, which extends into the Appalachian mountains. Across this range, several varieties have been described that are not currently recognized in Illinois. Paper Birch is not the only birch species with attractive white bark. Two European species, Betula pendula (Weeping White Birch) and Betula pubescens (White Birch), are often cultivated as landscape trees in the United States and Canada. These species have white bark that is similar to Paper Birch, but their leaves are smaller in size (1½-2½" in length). A North American species, Betula populifolia (Gray Birch), also has whitish bark, but its leaves are more deltate in shape with long tapering tips.

Range and habitat in illinois ⁹

Paper Birch is an uncommon native tree that is found in northern Illinois (see Distribution Map). It is more common further to the north. Habitats include upland woodlands and savannas (often sandy or rocky), open disturbed woodlands, stabilized sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and riverbanks. Paper Birch is cultivated as an ornamental landscape tree. Paper Birch is a pioneer species that responds positively to disturbance, especially wildfires that damage dominant canopy trees.

Faunal associations ¹⁰

The number of insects that feed on Paper Birch and other birches (Betula spp.) is quite extensive. The caterpillars of the butterflies Nymphalis antiopa (Mourning Cloak), Nymphalis vau-album j-album (Compton Tortoiseshell), and Polygonia faunus (Green Comma) feed on birches, as do the caterpillars of numerous moths (see Moth Table). Other insect feeders include the larvae of Croesus latitarsis (Dusky Birch Sawfly) and other sawflies, the larvae of Agrilus anxius (Bronze Birch Borer) and other wood-boring beetles, Polydrusus impressifrons (Pale Green Weevil), Altica betulae and other leaf beetles, Kleidocerys resedae (Birch Catkin Bug), the leaf-footed bugs Elasmucha lateralis and Elasmostethus interstinctus, Calaphis betulaecolens (Common Birch Aphid) and other aphids, and the leafhopper Erythridula praecisa (syn. Erythroneura praecisa). See the Insect Table for a more complete listing of these species. Paper Birch and other birches are used by vertebrate animals as a source of food, nesting or den habitat, and cover. The following birds eat the seeds of these trees

Damaging agents ¹¹

In the eastern part of its range, large percentages of paper birch were killed or damaged by a condition called birch dieback during the late 1930's and 1940's. Symptoms include dying back of twigs and branches in the crown, loss of vigor, and eventual death over a period of 5 to 6 years. Trees most often damaged were shallow rooted and showed root mortality before crown symptoms. The root mortality was attributed to environmental conditions (75). Many trees sprouted epicormic branches in the lower crown and bole and eventually recovered. The dieback condition has subsided and currently is not considered an important threat to paper birch (46,63).

Postlogging decadence-a condition resembling birch dieback-sometimes develops in residual trees following partial cutting. The older the stand and the heavier the cutting, the more likely this condition. For example, trees left as seed trees in regeneration cuttings are almost certain to decline and die within a few years. The best way to avoid these problems in managed stands of birch is to maintain vitality of trees through periodic thinnings begun at an early age. Also, heavy partial cuttings in mature previously untreated stands should be avoided (63).

The bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is the most serious insect pest of the paper birch. Usually it attacks overmature trees or trees in weakened condition. The borer played a secondary role in the dieback outbreak and undoubtedly caused the death of some trees that otherwise might have recovered. To prevent buildup of this insect, weakened and mature trees should be removed from the stand, and injury to residual trees should be avoided (21).

The most serious defoliators of birch are the forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), the birch skeletonizer (Bucculatrix canadensisella), the birch leafminer (Fenusa pusilla), birch leaf-mining sawflies (Heterarthrus nemoratus and Profenusa thomsoni), the birch casebearer (Coleophora serratella), as well as the general forest defoliators-the saddled prominent (Heterocampa guttivitta), and the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), and in Alaska, the spearmarked black moth (Rheumaptera hastata) (101). Defoliation alone seldom causes mortality of otherwise healthy trees. Rather, growth rate is reduced and trees become susceptible to other damaging agents, particularly the bronze birch borer, which attacks and causes death of substantial numbers of trees (21). Cambium miners, such as Phytobia pruinosa, and ambrosia beetles, such as Trypodendron betulae or Xyloterinus politus, make injuries that cause defects in paper birch timber but seldom cause the death of trees (63,88). The variety cordifolia may be less susceptible to severe insect attacks than the typical paper birches (39).

Micro-organisms that enter the bole of the tree through wounds or branch stubs cause discoloration and decay in paper birch wood. A condition known as red heart is a very common defect in some areas. The wood is darkened in color but may be sound enough for some uses. Principal decay-causing fungi include Inonotus obliqua, Phellinus igniarius, and Pholiota spp. (63). Stem cankers that ruin the tree for timber purposes and make it unsightly are often caused by Inonotus obliqua and L glomeratus (87) and Nectria galligena. The root-rotting fungus Armillaria mellea infects birch trees, causing cracks at the base of the stem ("collar crack"). Attack by root-rotting fungi can also result in uprooting by the wind (88).

Animals that damage paper birch stands include white-tailed deer, porcupines, moose, and hares. The most serious threat from deer and moose is over-browsing at the seedling stage, which reduces the amount of dominant birch in regenerating stands or impairs the quality of survivors (46,51). Porcupines damage larger trees by feeding on the inner bark and girdling large branches in the cr6wn and upper trunk. The yellow-bellied sapsucker pecks rows of holes through the bark; these are the source of entry for discoloration and decay organisms and may cause ring shake (88). If a dense band of holes girdles the stem, all or a major portion of the crown will die, leading to a weakened state that can invite attack by the bronze birch borer or decay organisms. In a Maine study, 51 percent of the paper birch trees damaged by sapsuckers died. Damage by hares and other small mammals is of critical importance to the development of planted seedlings (6). Hares clip or gnaw bark on small birch seedlings causing reduction in birch stocking (51). Red squirrels may girdle stems by stripping off the bark (46) or wound the tree by biting it to obtain sap (88).

Fire, which is responsible for the establishment of many paper birch stands, is also one of the most serious enemies of established stands. Because the bark of paper birch is thin and highly flammable, even large trees may be killed by moderate fires (46). However, in Alaska, pure birch stands have little fuel available, so fires are not common. Hot crown fires in spruce become slow-burning ground fires when they enter birch stands; the fire may even go out. In extreme drying of deep organic horizons in some birch stands, a hot, slow-moving fire will consume all of the organic matter, leaving the shallow-rooted birch without support. The otherwise undamaged trees soon fall over (106). Paper birch is very susceptible to logging damage during partial harvest treatments using mechanical techniques. Up to 53 percent of designated crop trees sustained injuries to root systems, boles, or both during a careful thinning (69).

Near Sudbury, Ontario, air pollution with heavy metals from mining and smelting operations has created a coppice woodland dominated by paper birch and red maple. Seedlings are repeatedly killed back and sprout from the base, creating multi-stemmed stools. On an exposed ridge, 18-year-old paper birch sprouts averaged 3.3 in (10.8 ft) in height and 5.8 cm (2.3 in) d.b.h. On a more protected site, 21-year-old paper birch sprouts averaged 5.9 in (19.4 ft) in height and 7.8 cm (3.7 in) d.b.h. (48). In the greenhouse study previously mentioned, fumigation with S02 caused partial stomatal closure, visible foliar injury, and reduced growth rate of both river and paper birch. Stomatal conductance and S02 uptake of flooded seedlings were lower than controls, but S02 effects were the same whether flooded or not (68).

People vandalize trees along roadsides and in parks and picnic areas by peeling off strips of the outer papery bark. The trees are seldom killed but always carry unsightly scars. In areas of great scenic value, the exposed inner bark can be painted white to disguise the wound.

Growth form (according to raunkiær life form classification) ¹²

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

Value for rehabilitation of disturbed sites ¹³

More info for the term: layering

Paper birch is useful for long-term revegetation and soil stabilization
of severely disturbed sites. It is used to reclaim coal, lignite, rock
phosphate, slate, gold, oil-shale, bauxite, and other mine spoils
[52,70]. Best results are obtained by planting 2-year-old or older
bare-root or containerized stock [52]. It is occasionally transplanted
as wildlings. Methods for collecting, extracting, cleaning, storing,
and sowing paper birch seed to produce nursery grown seedlings are
available [11,26,70]. Paper birch may also be propagated by grafting,
air layering, rooting of cuttings, or tissue-culture techniques [57].

Comments ¹⁴

Betula papyrifera is a well-known tree of the northern forest with its paper-thin, white, peeling bark. The bark, which has a high oil content and is consequently waterproof, was used for a wide variety of building and clothing purposes by the American Indians, including the covering of the familiar birch bark canoe. It is still used for various purposes, including basketmaking, in Canada and Alaska. Variants having more or less close, dark brown bark ( B . papyrifera var. commutata ) occur locally throughout the wide range of this species; this characteristic appears to be largely environmentally caused. The species is an important successional tree, coming up readily after fires, logging, or the abandonment of cultivated land. The relatively soft, whitish wood is used extensively for such items as clothespins, spools, ice cream sticks, and toothpicks, as well as for pulpwood for paper.

Betula papyrifera is the state tree of New Hampshire.

Native Americans use Betula papyrifera medicinally in enemas, to shrivel the womb, to alleviate stomach cramps and pain, and as a tonic (D. E. Moerman 1986).

Betula × sandbergii Britton is a fairly common hybrid, occurring where the ranges of the parents ( B . papyrifera Marshall and B . pumila Linnaeus) come into contact. In most vegetative features it is intermediate between the parental conditions (K. E. Clausen 1963; C. O. Rosendahl 1928).

Sources and Credits

(c) Marie Studer, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Marie Studer
(c) Howard, R.A., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10354818
(c) "<a href=""http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/trees/handbook.htm"">ND State Soil Conservation Committee</a>. <a href=""http://www.nd.nrcs.usda.gov/"">USDA NRCS ND State Office</a>. United States, ND.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://plants.usda.gov/gallery/large/bepa_003_lhp.jpg
(c) "<a href=""http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/trees/handbook.htm"">ND State Soil Conservation Committee</a>. <a href=""http://www.nd.nrcs.usda.gov/"">USDA NRCS ND State Office</a>. United States, ND.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://plants.usda.gov/gallery/large/bepa_004_lhp.jpg
(c) Tamara Horová, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/105316.jpg
(c) L S, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2574642429_066dfe358a.jpg
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_papyrifera
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29586603
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29449636
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29449637
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22778132
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/27689573
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24640821
(c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/19822950

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Paper Birch

Summary 7

Comments 8

Range and habitat in illinois 9

Faunal associations 10

Damaging agents 11

Growth form (according to raunkiær life form classification) 12

Value for rehabilitation of disturbed sites 13

Comments 14