What kind of birch?

[pajeepman]

Cut down a bunch of these on a property in the last few weeks. Some of them 75'+ tall, in woods where all tree were tall straight and lacking any large limbs for the bottom 35-40 feet or more. Black birch maybe. In north eastern Pennsylvania. I never saw any of these in SE Pa doing tree work for 10 years.

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[Treezybreez]

Maybe betula lenta?

 

[flyingsquirrel25]

Betula alleghaniensis. The bark is too flakey for lenta. The yellow birch is found down here, but most of what I have seen has been planted by land managers. The black birch is the same but was planted 50-75 years ago. Not seeing them planted as much due to health issues in our warmer climates.
Both are found much more the farther north you go. Head up into northern New England and you will find entire forests of these pioneering species.

 

[RopeShield]

Crush it. Strong wintergreen smell? Ellow or cherry. Cherry birch has cherry like bark and mild wintergreen smell

 

[pajeepman]

It has a minty smell. Some of the bark looks like cherry for sure. Is it desirable for anything? Plans are for firewood.

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[JD3000]

Birch beer.

 

[flyingsquirrel25]

It has a minty smell. Some of the bark looks like cherry for sure. Is it desirable for anything? Plans are for firewood.

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Of the correct size it used to be worth something for lumber. I don't think that market has been strong for years though. Fair firewood, can be difficult to split sometimes.

 

[ROYCE]

@flyingsquirrel25 is correct. Yellow Birch! Lots in our forests in certain pockets up here in VT. Can be very desirable to furniture makers. Sometimes mills will request larger trees of this species.

 

[Treezybreez]

In Russia, I believe they make dugout canoes from birch. I saw it in a documentary about trappers in Siberia.

 

[JD3000]

I believe it. American white birch has an alternate common name of canoe birch as well.