Yellow birch

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Yellow birch

Photo and data from Forest World

Common Names

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American birch

Birch

Gray birch

Silver birch

Swamp birch

Yellow birch

Common Uses

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Bobbins

Butcher blocks

Chairs

Chests

Cutting surfaces

Decorative plywood

Decorative veneer

Desks

Dining-room furniture

Domestic flooring

Dowell pins

Dowells

Drawer sides

Drum sticks

Figured veneer

Fine furniture

Floor lamps

Flooring

Furniture

Hardwood distillation

Hatracks

Kitchen cabinets

Living-room suites

Marquetry

Musical instruments

Office furniture

Paneling

Parquet flooring

Plywood

Radio, stereo, TV cabinets

Rustic furniture

Sills

Spools

Stools

Tables

Turnery

Veneer

Violin bows

Violin

Wainscotting

Wardrobes

Species Distribution

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REGIONS:

North America

COUNTRIES:

Canada

United States

Physical and Environmental Profile

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Environmental Profile

Yellow birch is rather widespread, abundant, and secure globally,
although it may be rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery
(Source -  The Nature Conservancy - Rank of relative endangerment based primarily
on the number of occurrences of the species globally ).

Distribution

Yellow birch is reported to occur in
Lebanon, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward
Island, and Quebec in Canada. Its growth range in the United
States is reported to be Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,
North Carolina, Delaware, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Iowa,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee Valley, Illinois,
Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
The tree is usually found growing with other hardwoods and
conifers in cool moist upland soils, including mountain ravines.
 Birch is also reported to grow in Northern Europe and Northern Asia.
 The tree is described as very hardy and can even survive at the polar regions.
 Some dwarf races of Birch are reported to survive in the Arctic tundra,
on the perma-frost soils that are usually frozen over during most of the year.

Product Sources

It is not known at present whether timber from this species is obtainable
from sustainably managed or other environmentally responsible sources.

Tree Data

The fully grown tree is reported to be often 70 to 100 feet (21 to 30 m) in height and
30 inches (80 cm) in diameter.
 Birch bark is reported to be full of natural waxes that render it waterproof.
The tough and durable bark is also reported to remain in the
soil long after the inside of the tree has rotted away.
 The birch tree is reported to be rather short-lived, and rarely exceeds 80 years of age.

Sapwood Color

The sapwood is described as whitish, pale yellow, or light reddish brown.

Heartwood Color

The heartwood is light to dark brown or reddish brown.

Grain

The grain is reported to be typically straight,
but some logs may contain wavy or curly grain.
Birch is described as one of the most featureless of all North American hardwoods,
but it has a natural pleasing figure which makes it very attractive for furniture.
 Annual rings, grain and pores are often indistinct, and a uniform scattering of fine pores or
vessels throughout the material gives it a dull and lusterless appearance.

Texture

Texture is fine and even.

Natural Durability

The species is reported to have little natural resistance to decay,
and will deteriorate rather rapidly if exposed to damp, outside conditions without proper chemical protection.

Resistance to Impregnation

The heartwood is reported to be fairly or moderately resistant to preservative treatment.  

Planing

Material containing irregular grain is reported to be generally difficult to machine in most operations and
may be accompanied by some grain tearing unless cutting angles are reduced.
 Straight-grained wood is reported to work without too much difficulty.

Turning

Yellow birch is reported to have very good turning properties.  

Boring

Boring characteristics are reported to be very good.

Mortising

The wood has exceptional mortising properties.

Gluing

Carefully controlled conditions are reported to be required for best results.

Nailing

The wood is reported to have poor nailing properties.  

Screwing

Screwing properties are reported to be rather poor.

Sanding

Sanding properties are reported to be only fair.

Steam Bending

The timber is reported to have very good steam bending properties.   

Response to Hand Tools

The wood works well with hand tools.

Strength Properties

Bending strength in the air-dry condition is very high.
Compression strength parallel to grain in the air-dry condition is high.
Hardness is rated as medium, and the wood is heavy.

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Reference Sources

Numerical Data Source

USDA. 1987.
Wood Handbook:  Wood as an Engineering Material.
Agriculture Handbook No. 72.
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin.

Bodig, J. and B. A. Jayne. 1982. Mechanics of Wood and Wood Composites.
Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York.

Descriptive Data Source

HMSO, 1981.
Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition.
Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment,
Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory,
Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Canadian Forestry Service. 1981.
 Canadian Woods - Their Properties and Uses.
Third Edition. E.J. Mullins and T.S. McKnight, Editors.
Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada.

Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert.
1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical.
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory,
General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.

Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color.
Linden Publishing Co. Inc. Fresno, California.

Jackson, A. and D. Day.  1991.
 Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying, Selecting and Using the Right Wood.
Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw.
Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources.
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.

USDA. 1988.
Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy.
Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

California Department of Forestry.
 Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western & Eastern Hardwoods.  
Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.  n/d.

Kaiser, J.
 Wood of the Month: American Beech - A Furniture Favorite.
 Wood and Wood Products, February, 1993.  Page 30.

Little, E.L.  1980.
 The Audubon Society Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region.
 Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.

Edlin, H.L. 1969.
What Wood is That?: A Manual of Wood Identification.
A Studio Book, The Viking Press, New York.

Kloot, N. H. and E. Bolza.  1961.
 Properties of Timbers Imported into Australia.  
Technological Paper No. 12.  Division of Forest Products,
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organization, Melbourne, Australia.

Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1969.
World Timbers, Volume Two - North & South America (Including Central America and the West Indies).
Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London.

Cypress Woodworks/2001

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