# what type of birch tree?



## crwilson (Feb 9, 2005)

Hey everyone what type of birch trees are in this pic I assume grey birch and then one white birch in the middle of the photo, they have a lot of dark colored lichen growing on them, I want to start managing this forest what should I do with all this birch? clear it out or let it grow for firewood? what uses can I find for it. This area used to be a blueberry field about 15 or 20 years ago and I wonder if this other photo is some kind of blueberry relative as it is by far the most abundant plant on the forest floor, sorry only pics are in winter.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Birch is my favorite for firewood. It is heavier than poplar but lighter than oak, and much easier to lift than oak. It splits easily. It burns well and smells great when it burns. And the bark is a great fire-starter - about 100X better than the crummy fire-starter bricks you buy. 

Also, birch is good for crafts. Check out https://www.etsy.com/search?q=birch&ship_to=US for ideas on how you could sell this.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

I don't think those are any kind of birch. They look to me like white poplar, or aspen. But I feel like the photo may be kind of tricky, the lighting is very dull. Maybe I am wrong???

Regarding the lower pic, how big is the plant those leaves are from? Is it a shrub 4 to 6 feet high?


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## crwilson (Feb 9, 2005)

hey guys the shrubby plant is about 8 to 16 inches on average and in the summer they are thick thick thick, all over the forest floor, those are just a few of the only ones to be poking up through the snow for the photo. There are wild blueberries growing in the same area a much smaller plant and smaller leaves but im pretty certain if I remember correctly that these sometimes produce a dark blue coloured berry also. could it be some sort of huckleberry or something? Also about the birch trees when I first looked I was confused too they have so much lichen on them I thought they were some poplars or aspen at first but maybe this pic will help, sorry for the bad coloring the camera wasn't working to well with all the snow as it was really bright out.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Looks to be gray birch.


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## WestFork (Dec 20, 2012)

They don't look like birch to me. They look like alder. What region are you from? It is hard to tell in the photos. Does the bark of the larger trees have thin paper that can be peeled off?

They look to me to be red alder, common to the pacific states.

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ALRU2


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

Looks to me like alder.

OP, it would be helpful to know what your location is.


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