A tree of cool, northern climates and dotted all over in New York's Adirondack Mountains, Paper Birch is coveted for its gloriously beautiful, white bark.
Bark on young trees is brownish but turns white after the tree has aged a few years. This mature bark exfoliates in papery strips, revealing a creamy to orangish-white inner bark. It has black lenticels, like shutters on a white house. Leaves turn a bright yellow in fall.
Paper Birch is considered a Keystone Plant because of its value to wildlife. Among other benefits, it is a larval host to the Mourning Cloak and hundreds of other butterfly and moth species. It also provides breeding habitat for birds, and woodpeckers, chickadees and swallows nest in the cavities.
In Eastern Massachusetts, Paper Birch will be happiest with afternoon shade and mulch to keep the roots cool. Pruning, if needed, should be done in fall or winter. Single-trunk trees can get up to 70 feet tall with a lovely, spreading crown.
Fun fact: Native Americans used Paper Birch to make canoes because the wood is light and waterproof.
