VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Betula nigra | River Birch 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
River birch wood is hard, strong, and close-grained. It is, however, of
limited commercial value since it is usually too knotty to be used for
lumber [7,13].  Its main uses are for local furniture manufacture,
basket materials, small woodenware, and fuel.  River birch is
occasionally harvested with other bottomland species for pulpwood [7],
and is used in some areas for veneer [6].  Since the wood is strong and
lighter than commercially important birches, it is suitable for
artificial limbs and toys [13].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
A number of species of birds eat river birch seeds including ruffed
grouse and wild turkey [34].  White-tailed deer browse river birch [13].
The bottomland hardwoods in which river birch occurs are prime wildlife
habitat, providing nesting sites for waterfowl, and food and cover for
many animals [24].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
River birch is used for strip mine reclamation and erosion control [13].
It is well suited for moderately to poorly drained minesoils,
particularly where soils are too acid for other hardwoods.  In Missouri,
river birch has better form on acid sites than it does on better sites
with heavier ground cover [36].  In West Virginia, river birch
established on mine refuse sites that had been covered with a layer of
seed-containing topsoil from neighboring areas.  It was not determined
if river birch seeds were in the soil seedbank or disseminated from
nearby trees [26].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
River birch is planted as an ornamental, especially in the Northeast and
Midwest [7].  It is well suited for damp ground, but is also somewhat
drought tolerant [4].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
River birch is not planted for commercial purposes, but could be managed
using even-aged systems [13].  In Mississippi, river birch occurred in a
13-year-old stand of mixed hardwoods that established on an old field.
River birch responded to thinning and exhibited faster growth than
sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), the target species [41].  If left
unpruned, it often becomes multitrunked in its first or second year,
breaking at ground level into several splayed stems [4].

Clearcutting promotes regeneration of the early seral bottomland
hardwoods in which river birch is found; advance regeneration does not
occur in these intolerant species.  To avoid extremes of soil loss and
lowered water quality, stands should not be harvested within 50 feet
(15.2 m) of streams [24].

River birch is more disease resistant and heat tolerant than other
birches [4].  It is one of a number of deciduous species that are
favored by gypsy moth larvae at all stages of larval development [12].

Related categories for Species: Betula nigra | River Birch