Silver birch

About

Betula pendula is widely distributed in Ukraine: in Polissia, Roztochia, the northern Forest-Steppe, as well as in the Carpathians, Precarpathia, and Transcarpathia. In the mountains, it is the first to appear where the forest has disappeared: in clearings, burnt areas, windfalls, and abandoned fields and meadows. The lightweight seeds with two wings are carried by the wind, allowing the birch to quickly occupy open spaces, later yielding to beech, fir, or spruce.

The tree reaches a height of 15–30 m, but is usually below 25 m, with a trunk mostly thinner than 40 cm, and a slender, delicate crown. The bark is smooth and white, but at the base of old trunks, it becomes blackish-gray and deeply cracked. The thin branches droop downwards, and the young shoots are reddish-brown and covered with resinous warts — hence the second name, warted. The leaves are diamond-shaped to triangular, 3.5–7 cm long, with a sharply serrated edge, smooth on both sides. Foresters use birch as a pioneer species that first covers bare ground.

In spring, yellow male catkins hang from the branches, while the female catkins are smaller, 2–3 cm long, and stand upright; the tree is monoecious. There is also a form with dark, almost black bark. The birch grows quickly but lives relatively short, which is why it is called a pioneer tree: it prepares the soil and shade for more long-lived species.

Betula pendula is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Slovakia · Czechia · Ukraine · Poland · Hungary · Romania · Austria

Mountain ranges

Slovak Ore Mountains, Volovec Mountains, Strážov Mountains, Low Tatras, Moravian-Silesian Beskids, Low Beskids, White Carpathians, Lesser Fatra, Slovak Central Mountains, Kysuce Beskids

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ