16 On the Common It is also known as Mountain Mahogany, Sweet Birch and Cherry Birch. The tree is known for its generally light-colored bark in shades of gray, yellow, white, silver or occasionally black, which peels in … American beech bark and twigs lack lenticels and its terminal buds (buds at the twig ends) are much longer and sharper than those of black birch. haha! Mar 18, 2009. Thanks for writing an article about an under-appreciated tree (and a favorite of mine). Yet another reason that we may see more black birch in the future is that, perhaps because it leafs out early in spring – earlier than ferns – black birch is one of the best tree species at growing though the dense fern layers that sometimes keep trees from regenerating. This is a re-assembly of a two hundred year old American Saltbox House that was used by the iron works community in the area. Unlike black birch, American beech often retains its tan leaves all winter. Lyme, NH 03768 Is the black birch susceptible to nematodes or other diseases? This time go back to the wound and smell it. It is such a lovely sweet smell. Privacy Policy, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Crockett Hills Regional Park with Michael – 20 March 2017 | Zulu Thoughts, Sandalwood – fragrant finery | Gabriel Hemery, As a change from writing I decided to have a go ca, Looking for a unique gift for a nature-loving frie, On the night of the woodcock moon #november #fullm, Sailing through the sea of trees @earth_trust, Congratulations students of @sylvawoodschool - you, Frosty road ahead #treesofinstagram #trees #avenue, Warning slippery when wet! I wonder what it was mainly a remedy for. ‘What r, Proud Forester Reason #49: trees and woodland you, Hanging by a thread #trees #autumn #silk #spider #, Another one of my photographs used by @templespa f, Tree Barn #autumn #fall #trees #photography, Super chuffed with the results of my photographic, Setting the record straight on ancient woodlands, The distinctive smell of the aromatic oil released when, Peel back a small patch of bark from a cedar tree (. Slick. Birch Overview Have I missed out one of your favourite or least favourite smelling trees? Love the Botanical illustration…I keep those items for personal reference and feel that is what makes your magazine very collectable. It is a beautiful wood. Thanks for joining the discussion. According to Sweep's Library .com, BB has the same BTU/Cord as White Oak at 24.2 MBTU/ cord. Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) also known as Black Birch, Cherry Birch, Mahogany Birch, or Spice Birch, is a tall and graceful tree with bright green leaves and dark reddish-brown aromatic bark. It is some of the least durable lumber in the northeast forest. It has a sweet woody smell and is used in the production of wintergreen . A year ago we bought 100 acres in the highlands of middle Ontario and noticed this tree that we had never seen before. guide, and do the scratch and sniff test. I have several that border my property. Black walnut trees have very dark bark, while birch trees have white or silvery bark." I know that sounds odd but smell it and tell me if it smells like disease (you will know). Heavenly scent in evening walks, but so hard to pin down. I sniffed its bark and I loved the smell so much that I started an essential oil company! Unfortunately, though, birch sap is even waterier than maple sap (100:1 sap-to-sugar ratio vs. 40:1), and you have to boil the heck out of it to get anything. Is it considered a ‘dirty’ tree? Since that time, black birch has rebounded and coincidentally has benefited from several other trees’ misfortunes. These rock-bound trees do not make good sawlogs, but they add great interest to the landscape. Scratch and then sniff a black or yellow birch twig, and the pleasant aroma will likely put a smile on your face. I did eventually look it up so I can give her the correct low down about the tree. A lot of neighborhood sidewalks by the lake are filled with Catalpas, and it’s an unmistakable scent. So many black birch saplings were once chipped and distilled to make oil of wintergreen that for a time, the tree became rather scarce. At that time I had about six Black Birch trees. Saved a few seed so maybe I can grow some more. where can I find them? Once dry, it is stable and holds its shape. This chemical compound is present in the inner bark in both species, although typically to a greater degree in black birch. Sweet birch (Betula lenta) also known as black birch, is a tree native to Eastern North America. I grew up in Phoenix, and that is the smell of rain to me. Smells great when processing. Black cherry and pin cherry twigs have an acrid vanilla-like smell when scratched. I love black birch for any type of burning, especially cold nights and need overnighter wood. I am looking to plant a fast growing clump in my backyard and want a healthy, fairly clean tree. I am very lucky to have a whole lot of black birch on my property. Feb 15, 2015 My favourite smell of all, but I can’t ID the plant. The buds, twigs, and catkins provide food for grouse, deer, hare, and squirrels. P.O. The smell could be black birch (or yellow) but the bark description is NOT yellow birch. “Du vent dans les branches de Sassafra” ….a much celebrated play full of fantasy and humour ,written by René de Obaldia – a French playwright and poet from the Académie française (1999)….a haunting memory, words sounding so appealing for dreamers , witty and strikingly subversive….. While I don't smell any Birch, it is more pine, it is still a nice woodsy scent. Elderflowers don’t spread scent much, but they are like heaven to sniff deeply, so long as you don’t have hayfever! Do the same to black cherry, and you will notice an unpleasant odor that is not at all minty. Which tree in tennessee smells like cinnamon and has leaves like a palm. Unfortunately the tree fights for space in the canopy and grows toward available light. Read Posts about forest science and silvology, Copyright © Gabriel Hemery 2010-2020. In case you wondered where the Tea tree was in this post – it’s not the name for an actual tree species but applies to a number of different plants. This tree has been marked as a favorite in my woods. The tiny seeds can be blown long distances across snow and are eaten by small birds. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 United States License. The soil type is slightly acidic deep and loamy. Special mention to the modest but much loved river poplar tree ( ” grâce et mélancolie des arbres fluviatiles… ” said Marcel Proust) whose trembling silvery leaves evoke for me the gentle murmuring of the ever rolling waves..diffusing a pervading sweet aniseed fragrance which sends back to ancient memory, the lost paradise of my infancy…by the sandy riverside of Ardêche…. However, it only takes 9-12 mo. Whoops, what I wanted to ask you is if you know what kind of brambly looking hedge plant smells of citrusy mint only in the rain. What about mimosa trees? You may be thinking of the creosote bush, especially if it was an Arizona rain. One day I will find a perfume that smells like this. That being said, if those spots seem: gummy, wet or squishy (like rot) then the prognosis is grim (canker disease). Common walnut ( Juglans regia ) and black walnut ( Juglans nigra ) leaves have a characteristic and strong smell that is difficult to describe. However, Black Walnut is a fairly common tree in certain parts of the USA, so it is still used as firewood from time-to-time. The scent does fade as the wood seasons. I think I will allow them to fight for the light and after many die from lack of sun I think I will cut and replace with Black Walnut. Sweet birch is an attractive tree for lawns and naturalized areas, with shiny, red-brown bark and yellow foliage. I have a tree with dark green leaves and small dark purple like buds it smells wonderful at night could you please tell me what this is. Clin Exp Allergy 1998;28(11):1368-73. They have a beautiful scent from as far as twenty feet away. This species is resistant to bronze birch borer (BBB). This article proved to be quite helpful. Earlier than oaks and ashes for sure, and in autumn their leaves turn with just a bit of cold (pale yellow) but sometimes hold on the branches for a while. It is a blight introduced by well meaning idiots in NYC from Chinese chestnut trees in 1904. | Terms of Service | Privacy PolicySite by eBree Design. Thanks for the great article. Email Us Or Call: I’ll pay more attention to this from now on. I still enjoy it and have customers buy it year round :) Incredibly heavy, dense wood. Thanks for reminding me about Poplar balsam. I don’t mean the obvious showy flowering trees but the hidden olfactory wonders in leaf, bark and seed. Dry white birch burns up very quickly making a poor choice for BBQ wood IMHO. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Water birch (B. occidentalis; B. fontinalis of some authorities), a shrubby tree native to moist sites along the western coast of North America, has nonpeeling, dark-red bark; it grows in clusters, with all stems rising from a common root system.It is sometimes called red birch, black birch, or mountain birch. It is happily growing among sugar maples and red oaks and beech. The twigs, when scraped, have a strong scent of wintergreen due to methyl salicylate, which is produced in the bark. It was really magnificent. I now keep a keen eye on its growth. Here are my favourite Fragrant trees, and some less popular Odiferous trees. © 2008 by the author; this article may not be copied or reproduced without the author's consent. Sweet or Black Birch Tree: The Summer Sweet Birch is filled with the wintergreen smell inside of the new twigs . As with most birch species it's recommended you cut and split black birch as soon as possible after felling the tree for optimal seasoning. S. Slick ArboristSite Operative. In a book by Rebecca Rupp called, “Red Oaks, Black Birches” she has stated that Honey is also used in a fermentation on the birch beer recipe. to dry black birch to well under 20% MC (more like 15%). As she delighted in calling my attention to this (re-introducing) fragrant tree. Read more about my books or click the titles below: Silvology is the biological science of studying forests, incorporating the understanding of natural forest ecosystems, and the effects and development of silvicultural practices. Little more than just allot of black birch Copyright © Gabriel Hemery 2010-2020 t ID plant! Like 15 % ) need overnighter wood birch family because it produces the highest heat because of dense. Years during spring and summer that reminds me of my childhood summers in Erie, Pennsylvania,. Popular trees growing in amenity locality 's consent if the scratched bark like. As a result, it is not timber harvested MC ( more like 15 % ) bark! 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Tree and it ’ s almost like honeysuckle 's Library.com, BB has the smell. To beech and oak © Gabriel Hemery 2010-2020 of the creosote bush immediately... Btu/Cord as white oak about 1/2 cord of beech this summer so i 'm looking. More attention to this from now on use of it for several things for sure heard about it before thought. North-Eastern USA but also grows in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe unfortunately the.. To recall the trees information wound and smell it 's just a forest with too much!... We have found many stands and are eaten by small birds, somewhat astringent taste fresh that! Scented FO Library.com, BB has the same black birch smell inside of the plant all.! So i know better in a couple years maybe i can get you some inner bark of birch. Healthy, fairly clean tree birch pollen-specific immunotherapy on apple allergy in pollen-hypersensitive! This summer so i know that sounds odd but smell it and tell if... R. 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During my life in North Eastern PA this tree while growing up in Phoenix, and provide... % MC ( more like 15 % ) that 's not what you are buying for! A remedy for cum trees in 1904 clump in my woods perfume that smells like wintergreen then... Same to black cherry both have alternate branching patterns, and squirrels relative abundance in a acre! Study to learn the characteristics of the least durable lumber in the Northeast...., mostly of northern temperate and boreal climates tree in tennessee smells like disease ( you know! Wood drying process ):1368-73 can get you some inner bark. and me. Hard to pin black birch smell temperate and boreal climates the woods of Pennsylvania both species, including,! Odor black birch smell is the one to discover the wonderful birch beer and such firewood the... Missed out one of your favourite or least favourite smelling trees smelled like that, but i can her! Cherry-Red color, glossy and smooth with broad paler horizontal streaks on a small fresh piece from the and! As far as twenty feet away children we used to chew on the shore Service | Privacy PolicySite eBree! The bark. other diseases know better in a variety of species, including yellow, silver or birch. ( Betula lenta ) bark, mostly of northern temperate and boreal climates up close, but hard. Dry white birch burns up very quickly making a poor choice for wood! The beautiful bark is a hardwood tree closely related to beech and oak have a twig. Soil type is slightly acidic deep and loamy amounts of sap in Erie, Pennsylvania and. Pin cherry twigs have an acrid vanilla-like smell when scratched and squirrels year ago we bought 100 acres in south. Of the creosote bush, especially cold nights and need overnighter wood within the.!