THE YELLOW BIRCH 



OVER a large part of northern New England the Yellow Birch is one of the most 

 abundant trees of the hardwood forests. It is easily recognized wherever it 

 grows by its rather ragged yellowish or yellow-gray bark. The precise tint 

 varies greatly in different trees, but it always differs from the bark of any of the other 

 birches. On account of its abundance as a forest tree it is very largely used for fuel, lum- 

 ber, and paper pulp. 



The leaves of the Yellow Birch are quite similar to those of the Black Birch, the 

 bases being cordate and the margins finely serrate ; but the bark of the twigs has only 

 to a slight degree the characteristic aromatic flavor of the Black Birch. In spring the 

 long, pollen-bearing catkins which are pushed out from the ends of the branches are very 

 similar in the two species, though the fruits which mature in autumn are more ovoid in the 

 Black Birch and more cylindrical in the Yellow Birch. 



The Yellow Birch is essentially a Northern tree, reaching its largest size in Canada 

 and the Northeastern States, where it often attains a height of a hundred feet and a trunk 

 diameter of four feet. In a forest the outline of the tree is generally modified by the 

 presence of the surrounding trees, but in open spots the branches spread widely and are 

 often somewhat pendulous, so that the tree is likely to take on a broadly rounded outline. 

 The species occurs naturally from Newfoundland to Delaware, following the Alleghany 

 Mountains southward to Tennessee. It extends west to Minnesota. In the more southern 

 parts of its range it seldom attains a large size. 



As an ornamental tree the variable yellowish bark is one of the most attractive 

 features of the Yellow Birch. It was apparently this beauty of the tree that led Thoreau 

 to visit so often what he called the "Yellow Birch Swamp." Young trees may be trans- 

 planted successfully, and flourish best in a damp situation where the roots can always 

 reach sufficient moisture. The tree is hardy and little subject to attack by insect or fungus 

 enemies. 



The loose bark is very useful to hunters and campers in starting fire's and the tree 

 is always a favorite with lovers of the great north woods. 



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