Paper Birch, American White Birch, Canoe Birch

My favorite tree that I admired so much in the northwoods of Minnesota and Wisconsin, where it thrives and lives about 100 years old. It ...Read Moregrows wild in the hills of northwest Illinois near Galena, and in central and northern PA. If planted in the Chicago area or around Philadelphia, PA, it usually lives about 30 years before killed by Bronze Birch Borer Beetle because it gets stressed and weakened by hot summers, especially if dry also. However, I have seen some really big specimens growing in partly shaded and cooler locations in both places that had to be over 50 years old. Grows in acid or alkaline soils. Water during summer drought. Fast growing, about 1.5 to 2 ft/yr in landscapes.

I know it's native to America, but plant 3 of these in a row in front of a picture window, watch them sway in the breeze on a cold winter...Read More's day while listening to the song Somewhere My Love, and the sheer beauty of the scene will make you experience a little slice of Heaven deep in the Russian forest. Some trees give you auras of romance everytime you see them, this tree is one of them.

Pros: Rapid growth, strong wood, attractive white exfoliating bark and yellow autumn leaf colour, adaptable to a wide range of soils, sou...Read Morerce of food and shelter for wildlife.

Cons: Short-lived, not drought, heat or shade tolerant, susceptible to attack from the bronze birch borer and birch leaf miner.

The paper birch is the official state tree of New Hampshire and provincial tree of Saskatchewan.

This tree is found across Canada and the most northern parts of the U.S. (specifically Oregon). The trunk has thin, white bark and dark h...Read Moreorizontal markings. Foliage is serrated and light to medium green in summer. Fruits are cylindrical shaped and about the width of a pencil and 1 1/2" in length.