Wood: 
Wood is close-grained,
moderately heavy, moderately hard and moderately strong. It is used for
pulp, veneer, lumber, toothpicks, tongue depressors and small, worked articles.
It provides excellent firewood. Birch-bark canoes of the Native Americans
were made using the bark of this species as it is strong, light and water-repellent.
The bark is useful for lighting fires when other materials are wet. Birch
sap boils down to provide syrup.
Wildlife: This birch is an important tree to northern wildlife species. In winter, grouse eat the buds, and deer and moose feed on the twigs. Birds and rodents eat the seeds, and beavers relish the inner bark.
Horticulture: The paper birch is a fine specimen for use in landscaping in parks and large areas, providing attractive bark and good fall color. They are moderate to fast-growing but, like most white-barked birches, are short-lived in cultivation. Both the European white birch and a cultivar of the Japanese white birch, 'Whitespire' show some resistance to bronze birch borer and are better choices for white-barked birches in most of Iowa.
