These are grey birch (betula populifolia).
They are sometimes called white birch, but should not be confused with paper birch (betula
papyrifera), which are also called white birch, and are the trees that were used by
Indians to make the famous birch bark canoes. The paper birches grow as far south as New
York and are larger, up to 70 feet tall and two feet in diameter. The grey birch is a
pioneer tree, which means it is often found where a field is in the process of becoming a
forest. They grow rapidly but are short lived; these trees are near the end of their
lives. The grey birch trunks are very flexible and can bend a lot when covered with snow
and ice without breaking, but they have a limit. Very often, they are found in clumps
because the original tree may break leaving a large number sprouts from its stump to take
its place.
In the early spring, the tree produces tiny flowers in male and female catkins that grow
near the tips of the same branches. The male catkins are yellowish hang down and have two
stamens, while the females are greenish and upright.
Grey birches grow up to 30 feet tall and one foot in diameter. They are found from
southern Ontario to North Carolina along the Atlantic seaboard states.
Birches, and Bunches of Birches. Grey birch (Betula populifolia) seeds germinate only in
abandoned fields and other open full-sun areas. Their presence is therefore a clue that
this forest is young and still developing. Pioneer species, such as birch, are generally
fast growing but short lived, being gradually replaced over time by slower growing, shade
tolerant species such as oak and beech. Look for multiple stems, (often the result of the
original trunk breaking under snow or ice weight), whitish bark and triangular branch
scars to identify this common Eastern species.
