Yellow Birch ( Betula alleghaniensis)
General Information/History | Wood Identification | Working Properties | Uses in Woodworking | Cost & Availability
The shimmering queen of the north. There's no sight in the woods that quite compares to a stand of yellow birch. The bronze-barked trees glisten against their neighbors. Light bounces off them, as if reflected from metal. The beauty of yellow birch on the stump probably captivated colonial New England craftsmen, too. But, it was the tree's strong, golden wood that they treasured. From it, they expertly crafted Windsor-style chairs, tables, and other furniture to withstand decades of use and abuse.
Yellow birch (, also called silver birch and swamp birch, is one of 50 species of birch found around the world. Situated in a wide range across the northern U.S. and Canada, yellow birch grows best in rich, moist woodlands by rivers and streams. Easily recognized by its metallic-looking bark with numerous papery curls and strips, the forest-grown yellow birch attains 60-70' heights and 3' diameters. Before leaves appear in the spring, twigs bear brown buds and branch ends boast two or three catkins containing pollen. By summer, the buds develop into toothed and pointed leaves measuring about 3-4" long. Along the branches, small cones with seeds inside appear, only to drop off in the fall. What little sapwood you find in yellow birch will be nearly white, while heartwood has an array of color. The wood varies from cream to golden tan to light walnut. Some wood may even have gray and red tinges. Although birch has a distinct grain pattern-sometimes displaying waves or curls-the fine-textured wood doesn't always overpower the eye.
At 43 pounds per cubic foot dry, it weighs almost the same as sugar maple, although it's not as hard.
Along with maple, yellow birch has always been a standard for items that get lots of use. Many of the turned products sold in homecenters are yellow birch. It's also used for dowels, dowel pins, screw-hole buttons and plugs, and shaker pegs.
Yellow birch lumber usually sells for less than $2 per board foot, and, except on the West Coast, should be readily available. Stock from the northern part of its range is harder, has fewer defects, and stains better. Although you normally won't find lumber with much sapwood, manufacturers of rotary cut yellow birch veneer make the distinction. It's offered as "natural" including heartwood and sapwood, and "select white" from sapwood. Plywood sells for about $50 per sheet.
