the Birch

The Silver Birch or European Weeping Birch is a very common fast
growing tree that prefers marshes and moist ground.
This tree can be found up to the most northern part
of the wordld as it is very winterhardy.

The female flowers of the birch.
The flowers of the birch are wind-pollinated catkins,
produced before the leaves in early spring. These are the male
that are larger then the female catkins.

Birch wood as Firewood

Birch wood is excellent firewood, burning without
producing a lot of litter or polluting the chimney.
Its only slightly more exspensive then other firewood.
While drying Birch wood its normal that small fungi
will appear on the trunks.

Birch wood as craftwood

Birchwood is a strong and beautiful craftwwod,
light and flexible, it can be used to produce
almost everything except things made for outdoor use.

Hay fever and the Birch

The flowering of the birch start when the first leaves
appear on the Birch. The male catkins produce pollen that
causes an allergic reaction in people that are sensitiv
for birch pollen. They induce the symptoms of hay fever,
starting typical at the end of march.

The birch is a fine street tree but its
roots will cause irregularities on the pavement.

the Birch as a street tree

The birch is a fast growing street tree.
But is roots grow superficialy, inducing
irregularities in the street and pavement.

the Birch cultivars

Betula pendula �Tristes� is an populair wheeping
form of birch and has a straight white bark.
Betula pendula �Dalecarlica� and Betula pendula
�crispa� have decorative leaves and are used
as a streettree.

hay fever

This is an important cause of One in people in central Europe suffer from hayfever, and another one in 12 have asthma. The symptoms are sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, and a stuffy nose. If you have asthma, your asthma symptoms may get worse when you have hay fever. The thing together is called : seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Hay fever is mainly caused by grass pollen, but also by trees and some weeds:

Grass pollen from May to July.
Ryegrass or Lolium sp. and timothy or Phleum pratense and meadow foxtail are the most important grasses that cause rhinitis or pollinosis.

Trees from February to June.
Birch is considered to be the most common allergenic tree pollen Sugi or Cryptomeria japonica and hinoki or Chamaecyparis obtusa are by far the most important cause of hay fever in Japan.

Weeds from April to September.
Common ragweed is a highly allergenic plant

The leaves in a pond, november.

The leaves of the birch are triangular with a broad base and pointed tip, and coarsely serrated margins.

The bark is white, often with black diamond-shaped marks .
The bark falls of in horizontal strokes.

Birch Polypore or Razorstrop Fungus (Piptoporus betulinus) is a
common bracket fungus that will appear on a birch which has
become unhealthy.
They are very common in birch woods.