It was an ordinary day. Checking out a beautiful tree that is for all seasons. Known as the River Birch. It is easy to recognize in the winter since it has a cinnamon-colored bark that curls and peels which is particularly noticeable in the winter.
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| Known as the River Birch |
This native of wet areas of the Deep South grows well when planted in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Woodcrest Villa, where I am now a resident, uses it on campus as a landscape tree. It is one of the very best shade trees, valued as a landscape tree for the colorful exfoliating bark. It is one of the most culturally adaptable and heat tolerant of the birches and a good substitute for pest-prone paper and white birches. It also features an appealing contrast when the leaves flutter in the wind, revealing a lower leaf surface of a different color than the upper surface. The slender new twigs are a red-brown color while thin branches are cinnamon-colored. Older branches may also be exfoliating, typically in shades of cream, light orange, and lavender. The branches are not brittle, so are not prone to wind or ice damage. Twig and branch die-back is not uncommon and these dead parts tend to be messy as they shed readily. The River Birch is a medium to tall tree, growing 60-80 feet at maturity and about 40 feet wide. Trees usually live 50-75 years and the trunk typically grows about 2 feet in diameter, but occasionally will be wider. It is sometimes overlooked because it doesn't have white bark, but it is widely admired for its fall color. Its lustrous dark green leaves of summer turn to a golden yellow in the fall. It has the best fall foliage of all birches. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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