# paper birch



## Graybeard (Apr 11, 2015)

Most of the paper birch I've worked with has been pretty small, maybe 8 inches in diameter max. The bark is pretty thin and paper like. Recently I was given some that's much bigger and appears to be trunk material. The largest diameter is 12 inches and the heartwood is a light brown. I've actually found a little red like box elder inside too. 

The bark on what I think was the bottom of the trunk is pretty thick while on some of the upper pieces it's more like paper.

First I've worked with birch like this - sound familiar to any of you that harvest paper birch?

Graybeard


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## Mr. Peet (Apr 11, 2015)

Do you have a picture of the basel bark? Paper birch is papery from top to nearly the bottom. On old trees of 2' foot diameter or more, it mat have plate like bark. However, European white birch often has rough gray bark several feet up from the base and almost always lacks any paper peeling character to the upper bark.


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## Graybeard (Apr 12, 2015)

Thank you sir, did some reading and am pretty sure it's European birch as you suggest. Have to talk with the guy whose property it came off. I doubt he planted it himself. 
Graybeard


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