American yellow birch

Latin Name

Betula alleghaniensis

Other Common Names

N/A

American_yellow_birch
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American yellow birch is one of a large group of species and is commercially the best of its group grown sustainably with a wide distribution, preferring cool regions with high rainfall.

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American yellow birch trees are generally not too large in this pioneer species that can be overgrown by climax species, such as maple. Definitely a northern, cold climate tree, yellow birch is medium sized with a medium diameter although larger trees can grow infrequently. Yellow birch should not be confused with paper birch, which is softer in texture and lighter in colour with scattered brown flecks.

FOREST GROWTH

Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data shows U.S. yellow birch growing stock is 541 million m3, 3.7% of total U.S. hardwood growing stock. American yellow birch is growing 7.09 million m3 per year while the harvest is 4.8 million m3 per year. The net volume (after harvest) is increasing 2.28 million m3 each year. U.S. yellow birch growth exceeds harvest in most of the main producing states including Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming Volume of live trees on forest land, 1000 m³ 0 3.5K All data derives from The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database developed in 2001, a component of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.Data was compiled by AHEC in May 2020 using the most recent state inventory available (2018 for most states).“Forest volume” refers to “Net volume of live trees on forest land" as defined by FIA (see glossary). FIA forest volume data is available for 49 U.S. states (Hawaii and Washington D.C. are omitted) with total commercially significant hardwood forest volume of 14.6 billionWith the 2008 Farm Bill, every US State was tasked to prepare a Forest Action Plan by 2010, reviewed in 2015, to include comprehensiveassessment of forest condition and a strategy for sustainable forestry. Further details are available from theNational Association of State Foresters
Back to whole mainland U.S. 0-20K 20K-40K 40K-60K 60K-80K 80K-100K 100K-120K > 120K Volume of live trees on forest land, 1000 m³ 0 200K
-15K -10K -5K 0 5K 10K 15K 20K 25K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -10K -9K -8K -7K -6K -5K -4K -3K -2K -1K 0 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -2000 -1750 -1500 -1250 -1000 -750 -500 -250 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ Removals 0 Growth 0 Net growth 0
0 200K 400K 600K 800K 1M 1.2M FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 40K 80K 120K 160K 200K 240K 280K 320K 360K 400K 440K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 100K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 4K 8K 12K 16K 20K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ Forest volume 0

LCA Tool

2.75
seconds
it takes 8.89 seconds to grow 1m³ of American yellow birch
The replacement rate is calculated from total U.S. annual increment of the specified hardwood species derived from the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and assumes that 2 m³ of logs is harvested to produce 1 m³ of lumber (i.e. 50% conversion efficiency). The rapid rate of replacement is due to the very large volume of hardwood trees in U.S. forest.
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Birch from the USA is available in limited volumes as sawn lumber unselected for colour but more limited in sizes and grades if red heartwood or white sapwood is specified. When selected for colour FAS grade will allow 5 inch minimum width. Refer to NHLA Grading Rules for colour sorting specifications. Birch is more likely to be available in thinner sizes 4/4” (25.4mm) & 5/4” (32mm). Veneer may also be available from specialist suppliers.

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The wood of yellow birch has a distinct difference between the sap which is white and the heartwood which is light reddish brown. The wood is generally straight grained with a fine uniform texture.

Mechanical Properties

Birch is heavy, hard and strong. It has very good wood bending qualities with good crushing strength and shock resistance.

  • 0.62

    Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)

    689 kg/m3

    Average Weight (12% M.C.)

    13.40%

    Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.)

    114.457 MPa

    Modulus of Rupture

    13,859 MPa

    Modulus of Elasticity

    56.332 MPa

    Compressive strength (parallel to grain)

    5,604 N

    Hardness
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Oiled
Birch_yellow_oiled
Un-oiled
Birch_yellow_unoiled
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  • Birch machines fairly easily and works well with care, including turning and takes stains and polish extremely well. It nails and screws satisfactorily where pre-boring is recommended. It dries rather slowly with little degrade, but has a moderately high shrinkage, so may move in performance.

     
  • The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay but is moderately resistance to preservative treatment and the sapwood is permeable.
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American yellow birch, growing sustainably in the natural forests in the USA, is used for some furniture and joinery, such as doors and interior panelling and kitchen cabinets.

Furniture
Panelling
Cabinets