PAPER BIRCH
betula papyrifera

• also known as Canoe Birch, Silver Birch, White Birch
• 'papyrifera' means "paper bearing" and refers to the bark

UNIQUE FEATURES:

• small to medium sized tree, with many stems
• bark peels off in paper strips
• trees in the forest have a narrow, oval shaped crown above a slender trunk
• the crown is pyramid shaped when the trees are found in the open
• in dense stands the lower trunk is largely branch free so can produce large strips of bark
• winter food for many animals and a nesting site for a number of birds
• can readily sprout from cut parts

LOCATION:

• throughout BC
• not on the west coast islands of right on the coastline
• uplands, floodplain sites, avalanche tracks, swamp edges, bogs
• can grow in a variety of soils

SIZE:

• up to 30 metres tall

FRUIT:

• nutlets with wings broader than the seed body

FLOWERS:

• narrow catkins; female 2 to 4 cm and stand erect at the branch tip; male are longer and hang below the branch
• appear at the time of or before the leaves
• break up after maturity

LEAVES:

• egg-shaped, sharp pointed tip
• double-toothed edges
• dull green, smooth to hairy with a paler underside with a downy texture

BARK:

• thin, white to reddish-brown or copper
• smooth, marked with brown horizontal slits or lines
• the reddish-orange inner bark is exposed when the bark is peeled off, gradually turning black

USES:

• modern - pulp, sawlogs, veneer logs, paneling, tongue depressors, cheese boxes, firewood; birch sap: vinegar or birch beer
• traditional - bark: baskets, cradles, canoes, wrapping and storing food, roofing pit houses, snow goggles, moose calls, toboggans; wood: eating utensils and dishes; sap: medicine for colds