Plant · GBIF taxon 5332120
paper birch
Betula papyriferaAlso known as Canoe Birch, White Birch
Paper birch is a slender northern tree whose white outer bark peels in thin horizontal sheets, revealing darker bark beneath. Its pointed, double-toothed leaves flutter on fine twigs, and young trunks may remain brown before whitening.
deciduous treewhite barkpioneer species
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Produces energy through photosynthesis and absorbs water and mineral nutrients through shallow roots
Predators
- bronze birch borers
- leaf miners
- browsing deer
ThreatsHeat stress, drought, bronze birch borer, severe fire, and climate-driven range contraction
HabitatsBoreal forest, cool mixed woodland, lakeshores, burned ground, and open northern slopes
Life spanOften eighty to one hundred forty years, though many trees die younger on warm sites
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderFagales
- FamilyBetulaceae
- GenusBetula
- SpeciesBetula papyrifera
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Do not peel bark from living trunks; wounds can expose the tree to moisture loss and infection.
Responsible observation
- Identify: Check for papery white bark crossed by dark horizontal lenticels.
- Observe: Compare older white trunks with brown-barked saplings growing nearby.
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