Tree Talk: Sweet Birch

We're sweet for Betula lenta! Also known as sweet birch, black birch, cherry birch, and mahogany birch, this tree was historically important for production of wintergreen oil from its buds and young stems. Its fragrance deters deer as much as it delights humans, resulting in its potential to dominate forest midstories in stands that have too many deer, no periodic fire, and a legacy of unscientific timber management. Though looked down upon for its propensity to replace oaks in forests that have those conditions, sweet birch is valuable in its own right. The tree is an important host plant for many moth caterpillars and can produce valuable timber with dark wood (hence the moniker black birch).

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Recorded on 12/5/21 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Allyson "sweet birch" Wells.