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Paper Birch
(Betula papyrifera)

Paper birch is also known as white birch or canoe birch. It is a showy tree in the woods with its white bark. Paper birch is not a large tree in Iowa and is used primarily for ornamental plantings. It has a clear, straight trunk and thin, rounded crown.  It is found principally in the northeast part of Iowa, extending southwestward to Eldora. Paper birch occurs on moist wooded slopes and along streams.

The oval or heart-shaped leaves are pointed at the apex, rounded at the base and are irregularly double toothed. They are rather thick intexture and dull green on the upper side and yellowish green on the lower side.

The slender twigs are orange-brown to dull red in color and have the characteristic aromatic birch odor and taste. The heavily layered bark peels off in large sheets. Its chalky white color distinguished this tree from all others in the forest. At the base of old trunks the bark becomes blackish and furrowed.