The Birch Tree
In Celtic times, the Birch tree was a symbol of love, with Birch branches frequently being placed above cradles in order to protect the baby within. Birch was also known to symbolise renewal and purification. Commonly known as a ‘Pioneering Tree’, Birch is seen as an opportunist which takes over areas that have been abandoned or have been newly cleared. This was how it spread across Ireland thousands of years ago.
There are two types of Birch Tree found in Ireland. These are native Irish Trees that have been in Ireland, for thousands of years. The Downy Birch is the more common of the two birch trees, the other being the Silver Birch.
Birch is a very tough, hardy tree. It can grow in very high altitudes and can grow in very poor soils. Mature birch trees can reach up to 30m in height, and form a light canopy with branches that droop. Its bark is a grey-white sort of color, while its leaves are triangular in shape. The flowers are the same for both the Downy and the Silver Birch, with long yellow-brown male catkins, and short bright green female catkins, both of which appear from April to May. The fruits of Birch Trees come out after successful wind pollination. They come in the form of the thickening of the female catkin, which also changes colour to a dark crimson.
There are some minor differences in appearance between the Downy (Betula pubescens) and the Silver Birch (Betula pendula), which makes them easier to distinguish between. The bark of the Downy isn’t as white and papery as the Silver Birch (hence the name silver birch), while the shoots of the two trees differ significantly. The Downy’s shoots are covered in small hairs, to give it an almost fuzzy appearance and are soft to touch. Whereas, the Silver Birch has hairless and warty shoots.
Downy Birch is more common in Ireland, due to their ability to grow on damper soils, and have been known to grow in bogland. Downy is also far more tolerant of a large range of temperatures, which means its suits the Irish climate perfectly. In fact, Downy Birch has been known to grow as far south as Spain, and as far north as Lapland in Finland. This means it can grow further north than any other broadleaf species. Silver Birch, on the other hand, are common garden trees, which often hybridise with the Downy Birch.
Due to its open canopy, Birch trees, have been known to provide food and habitat for over 300 insect species. Some species that the Birch provides food for are; Ladybugs, and Caterpillar of numerous species of moths. Woodpeckers are also often found nesting in the trunk. The Birch is also adapted to improve the environment around it, as it grows quickly and thus, captures huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Then, as it is a deciduous tree, its leaves fall every year. These leaves soon get broken down and turn into soil, which usually improves the soil quality.
Birch trees (both Silver & Downy) cover around 47,270 hectares of Irish land, which accounts for around 7% of the total tree population in Ireland. The majority of these Birches are found in quite small, naturally regenerated forests, which are of limited use for agriculture due to slope and other restrictions. However, over the past few years, there has been a continuous year-on-year increase in the amount of downy birch seed sown in Irish forest tree nurseries.
Birch trees are often seen as invasive and sometimes are even referred to as weeds. However, at Cloudforests, we believe that all trees are beautiful, especially native Irish trees, which have grown in this country for thousands of years. It is also a powerful tool in capturing carbon out of the atmosphere, thus, they aid in the mission to make planet earth cool. This is why Birch is a tree we will be planting across all of our Cloudforest sites, in the coming months & years.
