The River Birch, or sometimes also called “Tree River Birch” / “Birch River Tree” is a fascinating tree. I found a River Birch for $5 at an end of season sale, and couldn’t resist planting it. When I say I couldn’t resist, I mean, I don’t really have room for it, but I planted it anyway. I had been looking for a shade giving tree that also provides some protection from prying eyes.
On the positive side, the River Birch seems to be able to withstand a large amount of abuse, pollution and water. Plus, it has that amazing “Bark Peeling so I look like I’m dieing” look, that I love on trees. Nothing like a peeling tree in a boring fall garden! Overall a very nice specimen. Some information about it:
Tree River Birch
Specific Name: Betula Nigra
Other Names:
- Birch river tree
- Tree River Birch
- River Leaf
- River Birch
River birch’s “Heritage” cultivar was selected 2002″ Tree of the Year” by the Society of Municipal Arborists. The River birch is extremely popular as an ornamental. It is hardy for all U.S. climate zones, is fast-growing, nicely forked, and wind and ice resistant. River birch peels in colorful flakes of brown, salmon, peach, orange, and lavender and is a bonus for regions deprived of paper and white birches.
The river birch is a large deciduous tree, growing 90 feet in height and spreading 30 to 50 feet. It grows at a medium to rapid rate, 30 to 40 feet over a 20-year period. River birches situated in moist areas live longer. The river birch is among landscape trees recommended by many experts.
Birch grows in climates ranging from boreal to humid and tolerates wide variations in precipitation. Its northern limit of growth is arctic Canada and Alaska, in boreal spruce woodlands, in mountain and sub alpine forests of the western United States, the Great Plains, and in coniferous – deciduous forests of the Northeast and Great Lakes states.
Unlike other kinds of birch tree, the fruits of the River Birch mature in the spring following flowering. The trunk of this tree often is short, branching into several large limbs that grow upward. The bark of younger trees is pinkish to reddish brown. When older it is shaggy and silver-gray to black. The River Birch favors moist soils and typically is found growing on stream banks and in swampy lowlands. In her book on The Woody Plants of Ohio, Lucy Braun calls this a “semi-aquatic species” since it can survive flooding for several weeks at a time. This tree grows throughout most of the eastern United States and westward to eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas. It is more common in the South, where it is the only birch tree that is found at low titleitudes. although not of great commercial importance, manufacturers sometimes use it for furniture and woodenware. It also is planted for its ornamental value and is very effective in preventing stream bank erosion.
Books
There are actually no books in print, specifically on the River Birch Tree. But there are several books about Birches that speak of the River Birch. Here’s a list:
1. The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest
The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest
The recent popularity of river birch in North American gardens is due in large part to the introduction of especially light-barked cultivars including Betula Nigra "Heritage". The spacing of these trees in our garden at home directly emulates the close spacing often encountered in native populations.
River Birch Bark
Nearly Invulnerable to borer attack and is unquestionably the best birch for regions with high summer temperatures. Beautiful as a single-stemmed or multistemmed tree, river birch has the capacity to live well over a century and to exceed 100 feet in height. It is sometimes called red birch
2. The Birch: Bright Tree of Life – A book about birch
The Birch: Bright Tree of Life and Legend
Encyclopedia of North American Trees
Habit and Range
River birch is well named as it loves (wet) zones, adapts well to wet sites and reaches its maximum size in rich soils. However, the tree is very heat-tolerant and can survive modest droughts. River birch transplants easily at any age. The tree is very intolerant to shade.
The graceful elegance of the birch allows it to be used as a specimen or for naturalizing, and is best used in large areas. It transplants easily and is most effective when planted in groupings. A multi-trunk specimen is more handsome than single-trunk trees. It should not be planted in high-use areas such as driveways, walks and patios, as dead branches tend to be messy. Periodic pruning is required to remove these branches; this can be done at any time of year. although the river birch thrives in wet areas, it does not require excessive amounts of water. It tolerates fairly dry soils once it is established. It requires acidic soils, suffering from iron deficiency if pH levels are 6.5 or higher. This species requires full sun and tolerates high temperatures. –as featured on Wikipedia
Animal Love
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- Moose: Nutritional quality of the River Birch is poor in winter, but is important to wintering moose because of its sheer abundance in young stands.
- White-tailed Deer: though considered a “secondary-choice food”, it is an important dietary component. In Minnesota, white-tailed deer eat considerable amounts of birch leaves in the fall.
- Snowshoe hare browse birch seedlings and saplings.
- Porcupines feed on the inner bark
- Beaver also eat it though generally prefer aspen, while willow and paper birch are second choice foods.
- Voles and shrews eat the seeds.
- Numerous birds and small mammals eat paper birch buds, catkins and seeds.
- Young paper birch stands provide prime deer and moose cover.
River Birch
Birds
- Numerous cavity-nesting birds nest in birch, including woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and swallows.
- A favorite feeding tree of yellow-bellied sapsuckers, which peck holes in the bark to feed on the sap. Hummingbirds and red squirrels also feed at sap wells in paper birch created by sapsuckers.
- Ruffed grouse eat the catkins and buds.
- Redpolls, siskins, and chickadees obtain a considerable portion of their annual diet from birch seeds
Age
Growth Rate: The river birch is a large deciduous tree, growing 90 feet in height and spreading 30 to 50 feet. It grows at a medium to rapid rate, 30 to 40 feet over a 20-year period. It lives only 30 to 40 years on many urban sites, possibly due to a shortage of water. River birches situated in moist areas live longer.
The river birch is native to the American midwest, and is among landscape trees recommended by many experts.
Expert Comments
“Most birches are known for their beautiful bark, which can dominate any landscape in the dormant season.” – Guy Sternberg, Native Trees for North American Landscapes
“Only the shaggy brown river birch seems truly adapted to cities, holding its own with urban heat blasts and the deadly borer.”- Arthur Plotnik
“‘Heritage’[river birch] is an excellent selection with superior vigor, larger leaves, and greater resistance to leaf spot.” - Michael Dirr
Tree River Birch
References
- http://forestry.about.com/od/treeplanting/p/good_rbirch.htm
- http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_river_birch.htm
Mail Order Birch Seeds
If you’re looking for River Birch Seeds, you can find them here:
1. Amazon
Conclusion
If you have the room for a tree river birch (aka River Leaf), then by all means plant it. It takes little work to grow, looks great and will add a tree to your yard. best yet, its maximum ht is reasonable.