Paper Birch

Paper birch or Betula papyrifera is a reasonably common tree in our Bella Coola Valley transition climate from coast to interior.  They are just an all around beautiful tree and we are so fortunate to have them intermixed in the early succession deciduous stands of trees in the valley.  This time of year they are not much to look at except for the bark which is always pleasing.  One thing I like to do is find an old one on a clear blue sky day and look up, you can really see how the branches grow first one way, then turn and grow for a few years the other way, making a zig-zag branch formation.  Grizzly