Yellow Birch, Swamp Birch, Curly Birch, Gold Birch, Hard Birch

In certain spots in southeast Pennsylvania, where the woods are cool and mature, one can find some Yellow Birch, oftentimes with some Eas...Read Moretern Hemlock trees enjoying the same environment, as do American Beech and Sweet Birch too. According to the literature this species likes both the acid soil of the East Coast and alkaline soil of some Midwestern locations; pH range from 4.5 to 8.0. Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL, has three good specimens I photographed in August of 2010 doing well mostly in sun and neutral pH of about 6.8 to 7.1, in moist, well-drained silt-clay loam soil. It gets a good yellow fall color. It is a beautiful tree should be used much more, like some other non-white barked birch, including the similar Sweet Birch. It lives about 150 yrs in nature, and in landscapes it might only live 30 to 50 years if it is in a hot, dry, exposed location due to Bronze Birch Borer. A company I worked for in the late 1980's bought some specimens with about 4" diameter from a large, diverse nursery near Naperville, IL. Native to the Northwoods from New Foundland to MN and in the Appalachian Region.

Betula alleghaniensis YELLOW BIRCH Dec (z4) (ENa,B&G,Ed)
As one of the largest of the E. hardwoods, it has been an important timb...Read Moreer tree; however, its shiny, smooth, amber-colored bark, which peels prettily makes it a handsome ornamental also. Sun-PSh/Wet-Med