Wood: Birch wood is light-colored, heavy, strong, hard and diffuse-porous.
Wildlife:
Birches are of great value to northern wildlife. Hoofed browsers,
snowshoe hares, beaver and porcupine feed on the wood, twigs or foliage.
The seeds are eaten by redpoll and pine siskin, chickadees and rodents.
Grouse feed on the catkins, buds and seeds.
Horticulture: Easy to transplant and reasonably adaptable, this is a very popular ornamental in the midwest and the eastern US in urban and suburban areas. Pruning should be avoided during late winter or early spring, as the tree will bleed excessively. Most birches with white bark are short-lived in cultivation, this species being no exception. 'Rocky Mountain Splendor' is a very hardy cultivar, able to withstand minus 40 degrees F. It is a cross between B. pendula and B. occidentalis. 'Dalecarlica' is a coarsely-toothed cultivar with deeply-lobed leaves.
