Betula nigra

The wood of the River Birch (Betula nigra) is hard and close-grained. Native Americans are know to have used this tree in many different medicinal purposes.¹ Both Native Americans and Europeans used the sap to ferment into beer. It was used for fuel, inexpensive furniture, basket hoops, artificial limbs and toys. The inner bark was used for dying fabric.²

A number of species of animals eat river birch seeds including wild turkey and ruffed grouse, finches, chickadees, titmice, sparrows, cardinals,³ and rodents. White-tailed deer also eat the river birch twigs. It provides nesting sites for waterfowl and food and cover for many animals and insects.⁴ Its spring ripening, when food can be scarce, makes it particularly valuable.⁵ Beavers use it to make their dens.⁶

A pioneer species, it rapidly colonizes exposed, bare stream banks and gravel bars, stabilizing the soil and developing a forest for other trees to succeed. The tree has can be used for erosion control.⁷

River birch is useful in native-oriented landscapes. It has a balanced and well-formed growth habit and interesting features through all seasons. In landscapes, the River Birch does well in wet soils along ponds, streams and low spots. It is a vigorous, fast-growing, medium-sized native deciduous tree which can be found on floodplains, along streams and in swampy bottomlands.⁸ The bark is salmon-pink to reddish brown and peels to reveal lighter inner bark. It has interesting features through all seasons.