# Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)

> A northern tree famous for chalk-white bark that peels in papery strips to show orange-pink beneath, with dark green leaves that turn bright yellow. It grows fast when young, often as a multi-trunked clump, and is the state tree of New Hampshire. South of about zone 6 it is short-lived because summer heat stresses it and bronze birch borer finishes it off.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/betula-papyrifera · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: White birch, Canoe birch
- Family: Betulaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, loses its leaves in winter
- Mature height: 18 m; spread 10 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 80 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 2 to 7
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Needs steady water
- Soil: Cool, moist, acidic, well-drained soil; tolerates clay, sand and rocky ground but not heat or drought
- Native range: Across Canada from Newfoundland to the Yukon, interior Alaska, and the northern United States from Washington and Montana east to Minnesota, New York and New England, with scattered mountain stands farther south.

**Benefits:** Fall color, Fast canopy, Wildlife, Birds, Pollinators, Salt tolerant

**Good for:** Yard shade, parks, Reforestation

**Watch out for:** Short lived, Pest prone, Surface roots

## Care

Plant in full sun with the roots in cool, mulched, consistently moist soil; a soaker hose in dry summers is worthwhile. Prune only when fully dormant or in late summer, never in spring when it bleeds. Bronze birch borer (D-shaped exit holes, dieback from the top) attacks stressed trees; birch leafminer and aphids are cosmetic.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native in every province and territory except Nunavut.); United States (Native across Alaska and the northern states from Washington to Maine, with outliers south to North Carolina and New Mexico (more than 15 states); state tree of New Hampshire.)
- **Recommended:** Calgary, AB, Canada (On the City of Calgary Top Tree Species for Calgary list)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/betula-papyrifera/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/paper-birch/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/BEPA
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_papyrifera