Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-07-22
GRAY BIRCH.
This Useful Wood is Unpopular and
Misunderstood.

s.AS GcCAuA sVOOu 10 bnRVRuA0E anu
AIisunderstoOd.
Probably there are very few inhabitants
OF New England who are not more or less
intimately acquainted with the gray birch,
one OF the commonest and most widely
known trees Of the northeast states, and
at the same time one OF the least under
stood and least popular.
1t is distinctly tree OF the open, and
as such is SO conspicuous that one can not
help noticing it. In any open field, any
old pasture, any sand plain, on tn. border
OF any swamp or sluggish stream, one is
almost sure to find the gray birch. In the
woods and in old forest growths, the
chanches are that one will have to hunt
a long while before he finds single rep
resentative Of this species.
AT first thought this may appear strange
and rather puzzling. There is really no
mystery about the case, however, and the
explanation is simply that the birch is
crowded out of the forest 1t is peculiarly
intolerant of any shade, and will not grow
under other trees, and in addition to this
it is small tree. AS a result there is no
chance for it in the forest, and it has to
content itself with the open, especially
with more or less barren, waste places
where other trees establish themselves
with difficulty.
Yet, in spite OF the fact that it is so
widely known, it has few friends or ardent
supporters. This is not because it is with
these are not generally recognized. On
the o.her hand, its failings are quite
apparent. 1t is not particularly beauti-
full or ornamental tree. Its light foliage
is rather delicate and graceful, but it is
much too small and too thin-crowned ever
to be of any use as a shade tree. Its
whitish, closely oppressed bark usually
has somewhat dirty appearance, and
cannot compare in beauty with the thin,
creamy layers of white birch bark. In
addition to this, the tree is frequently
injured bylsnow and Ice storms, and its
broken broken branches and bent stems
do not help to beautify the landscape.
Moreover, the gray birch most certainly
cannot be classed as one Of our important
timber trees, and is far ut-stripped in
this respect by others OF the same genus.
Its big brother, the yellow birch, has the
proud distinction OF being one Of the
largest deciduous-leaved trees Of eastern
North America, with hard strong wood
much valued by lumbermen. It's more
delicate sister, the white birch, is not SO
large nor so abundant, but it is one of our
most beautiful forest trees, and its wood
is also highly priced for the manufacture
Of spools, shoe shanks, shoe pegs, tooth
picks, and other articles.
The gray birch is at present used prac
tically only for fuel. 1t is small, short
lived tree, very rarely forty feet high, and
seldom exceeding a foot in diameter.
Then, too, its numerous, more or less con-
torted branches give rise to many knots,
and the wood is of poor quality and hard
to work, so that it would be Of but little
value for lumber even il it attained suf-
ficient size.
The prejudice against it is based rather
on the lack of virtues than on the possess
sion OF actual vices. The only vice that
can be charged to the gray birch is that it
sometimes usurps good forest soils to the
exclusion OF better species. This is, in
deed, occasionally true, but more often
this apparent vice is really its one redeem
ing virtue. It has remarkable capacity
for fiourishing on the poorest, most barren
soils, which would seem to be unsuited for
any tree growth. Its light, winged seeds
are carried to great distances by the wind
n 70 in oh
Frequently these young seedlings are
burned back by ground fires, but the
birch refuses to be killed out in this way
and quickly sends up vigorous sprouts
which continue the work of reclamation.
For this is just what they are doing-re-
claiming the land and making it available
for other species.
As the trees develop, the crowns grad
ually come together and form rather
open forest cover, the leaf litter that they
produce forms layer Of humus, or vege-
table mold, and the soil is constantly pro-
tected and enriched. This changed con-
dition gives other species chance to come
in, and before long they begin to take ad-
vantage of it. The upper story of birch
piotSSta tnCsS SSSoAAh Aciii
wind, frost, drought, and other unfavor-
able influences, while at the same time its
light foliage is not dense enough to pre-
vent their development. In time these
young trees force their way up through
the birch, kill it out, and take possession
of the ground themselves.
The birch is, OF course, not found exclu-
sively on the very poorest soils. 1t often
takes possession OF old fields and other
open spots which have good soils, but
here, too, the same process almost invar.-
ably takes place. The birch acts as a
nurse for other species which in time COM
pletely suppress it and kill it out. White
pine is particularly quick to take advan-
tage of this protection, and may fire.
quently be seen coming up through stands