Yellow Birch

[svk]

Came across a couple of yellow birch blowdowns while hunting this fall. As these are fairly rare in my neck of the woods, I've never cut one.

Do they tend to punk out quickly like white birch? I noticed the ones blown over still had all limbs and branches intact versus white birch which seem to decay the minute they fall.

One of them is a beast, about 24" dbh. Only about 150' from a road so if its solid I can noodle into quarters and carry out.

 

[dancan]

I'll run the saw up and down the trunk of any of the birches that I'm not gonna split to help it dry , the split pieces are split so they dry just fine .

 

[mr.finn]

I would think being in the birch family it is likely to rot if it sits on the ground for too long. Go get it!!

 

[chucker]

like dancan said, it works for me...

 

[svk]

Good news is it's suspended off the ground with branches. I won't be able to get at it until spring at this point though.

 

[1project2many]

Came across a couple of yellow birch blowdowns while hunting this fall. As these are fairly rare in my neck of the woods, I've never cut one.

Do they tend to punk out quickly like white birch? I noticed the ones blown over still had all limbs and branches intact versus white birch which seem to decay the minute they fall.

One of them is a beast, about 24" dbh. Only about 150' from a road so if its solid I can noodle into quarters and carry out.

Yellow Birch is not like other Birch. It lasts and lasts so you shouldn't have to worry about those trees rotting before you can get to them. They cut well, split easily, and produce as much heat as Oak. I think the heartwood even resembles Red Oak when split. No need to split or peel bark, either. I've pulled Yellow Birch out of a swamp after being downed for two years and it was still good.

 

[svk]

Yellow Birch is not like other Birch. It lasts and lasts so you shouldn't have to worry about those trees rotting before you can get to them. They cut well, split easily, and produce as much heat as Oak. I think the heartwood even resembles Red Oak when split. No need to split or peel bark, either. I've pulled Yellow Birch out of a swamp after being downed for two years and it was still good.

That's what I like to hear!

 

[GVS]

Yellow Birch is not like other Birch. It lasts and lasts so you shouldn't have to worry about those trees rotting before you can get to them. They cut well, split easily, and produce as much heat as Oak. I think the heartwood even resembles Red Oak when split. No need to split or peel bark, either. I've pulled Yellow Birch out of a swamp after being downed for two years and it was still good.

Yes,yellow isn't like white.Much longer lasting when down even when not split.Pretty darn good fire wood too!

 

[bobt]

Yellow birch is good firewood. I like it as well as sugar (hard) maple. The smooth branch sized wood sometimes splits by hand quite easily, but the big trunk sections are very stringy and hard to split. If splitting by hand, try to whack thin slabs from the edge before attempting to split down the middle. Really though, a hydraulic log splitter is in order for the big blocks. Good luck!

 

[Toxic2]

Nothing wrong with yellow birch..i wish all the white birch on my property were yellow

 

[Coldfront]

I got a load of yellow birch last winter, I really like it, burns good and fast drying after split.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

HA HA! Years ago we were on vacation (back when we used to be able to take them, that is!) in Vermont, and were walking around and I saw some rounds of Yellow Birch sitting out behind a motel; we don't get Yellow Birch down here in my area, so I asked the manager if I could have a round, and they said "okay", so I put it in the back of the wife's Rav 4. As we were driving later that day, we heard the round roll around in the back, and she threatened me "if that broke something (gifts we bought) I'll crown you!!!". Well, lucky for me , everything was safe, so I was spared the beating!

Anyway, that's my Yellow Birch "story". I was able to split it into two nice sections, and it burned really nice. Wish I had some around here!

 

[svk]

Nothing wrong with yellow birch..i wish all the white birch on my property were yellow

Well if you borrow a young male dog and give him lots of water to drink that shouldnt be a difficult task

 

[1project2many]

Oh, great. There's another wood ID thread waiting to happen.

"It looks like white Birch but it's yellow for about a foot up and really smells like piss."

 

[peakbagger]

Yellow birches can grow very large and unlike white birches they can live a long time. The bark on Yellow birch is just a volatile as white birch but the bark tend to roll off in small curls that give a yellow birch tree a fuzzy appearance. There are several logging camp stories that one of the ways that new folks to a logging camp who were too cocky would get hazed was by betting them that they couldn't climb a yellow birch tree. Once the person climbed the tree, someone would light a match to the curls and the flames would run right up the trunk. The guy up in the tree would inevitably have to jump to avoid getting burnt and hopefully not get hurt when he landed.

I have had yellow birch rot like white birch but no where near as often and I don't think then tend to rot standing like white birch does. When you see the crown of a white birch start to not having new buds in the fall, its time to drop it and even then there may be some rot. I always run my saw down a white birch and it does extend the length of time it can be on the ground. Its rare to see yellow birch in an area that have been cut over a few times. Much of Maine's dowel and matchstick industry was based on old growth yellow birch and as they started to run out, the industry switched over to white. Every so often old growth yellow will be pulled out of a river by salvage loggers and the wood can have some incredible figure and grain.

Yellow birch can give off a distinct peppermint smell. I have heard some folks say the birch syrup is superior to white birch but given that few folks tap birches I haven't gotten to sample either.

 

[svk]

Yellow birches can grow very large and unlike white birches they can live a long time. The bark on Yellow birch is just a volatile as white birch but the bark tend to roll off in small curls that give a yellow birch tree a fuzzy appearance. There are several logging camp stories that one of the ways that new folks to a logging camp who were too cocky would get hazed was by betting them that they couldn't climb a yellow birch tree. Once the person climbed the tree, someone would light a match to the curls and the flames would run right up the trunk. The guy up in the tree would inevitably have to jump to avoid getting burnt and hopefully not get hurt when he landed.

I have had yellow birch rot like white birch but no where near as often and I don't think then tend to rot standing like white birch does. When you see the crown of a white birch start to not having new buds in the fall, its time to drop it and even then there may be some rot. I always run my saw down a white birch and it does extend the length of time it can be on the ground. Its rare to see yellow birch in an area that have been cut over a few times. Much of Maine's dowel and matchstick industry was based on old growth yellow birch and as they started to run out, the industry switched over to white. Every so often old growth yellow will be pulled out of a river by salvage loggers and the wood can have some incredible figure and grain.

Yellow birch can give off a distinct peppermint smell. I have heard some folks say the birch syrup is superior to white birch but given that few folks tap birches I haven't gotten to sample either.

I've had birch syrup and birch beer. Both very good. Never checked to see which tree it came from.

The only yellow birch by me is in a lowland area. It's a unique forest of yellow and white birch, basswood, cedar, and red maple intermingled. This area was logged last in 1912 so I'd say the big cedars and yellow birch were original regeneration.

 

[svk]

The white birch in my area are dying at a rapid pace between old age and birch borer. I literally have about 5 left on the 4 acres at my house. Same by my hunting cabin. Which is great for scrounging. OTOH the yellow seem to be unaffected. Just a few blowdowns here and there.

 

[svk]

I really need to get to this tree this year.

 

[nathon918]

I really need to get to this tree this year.

me too

 

[Jon E]

I wouldn't mind if all of my firewood, for the rest of my life, was yellow birch. I feel the same way about black birch, cherry and beech. Definitely one of my favorites. If you get to it soon, it should be fine.