Silver Birch

About this Silver Birch

Betula pendula is one of the most common of Britain’s native broad-leaved tree species, and grows abundantly across the UK, although in Scotland Betula pubescens or Downy Birch is more common. It is of high conservation value, as its canopy encourages the growth of a varied ground flora, providing a food source for many insects, birds and other animals.

Betula pendula is often planted as an ornamental garden tree, revered for its attractive bark and graceful branches, which droop characteristically in arches. The bark on its slender trunk is white or silvery, and sheds layers like tissue paper. In the wild, these beautiful trees can grow up to 25m tall, and they are hardy, able to withstand strong winds, hard frosts and sunshine.

Betula pendula has an array of properties for which it is favoured internationally. Whilst its wood is not of great commercial value in the UK, it is grown for forestry in Scandinavia and other regions of northern Europe. Its brushwood is used in the design of racecourse jumps, and its sap is even brewed into a ‘wine’. Historically, its bark was used for tanning, and in Sweden, was used to make a form of bread. In fact, the removal of bark was at one time so widespread that Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, expressed his concern for the survival of the woodlands.

In the wild, the tree canopy is light and open with spaced, small leaves, which allows a wide variety of ground flora to grow, including mosses, grasses and flowering plants. These plants in turn provide a rich food source for a host of wildlife, including birds such as the chaffinch, tree pipit, willow warbler, and nightingale.

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