White Birch

White Birch

White Birch Betula papyrifera needs plenty of light to grow and it thrives in areas where the trees have been cut down or burned. The birch burns readily because of its inflammable bark but the tree is able to grow again from suckers at the base of the trunk. A stand of birches represents an early stage in forest regeneration and when other trees grow big enough to cast a shade the birch no longer thrives. The bark of White Birch is thin and white and it peels off in strips. [CH] {NT}