Markets for Grey Birch and Quaking Aspen in NE

[twistedtree]

I curious what markets are available for these woods.  The grey birch is sometimes called white birch.  It is not paper birch and it is not river birch.  I'm interested in New England markets.  I've looked at some of the historic reports, but many places are only looking for the more desirable species of hard and soft woods.  I have a number of what should be nice saw logs, but I know this isn't high-demand wood.

Thoughts

[wiam]

Gray birch and white birch are not the same.

Will

[SwampDonkey]

Grey birch usually grows in lowlands and waste areas. I've seen old abandoned fields (wet) and gravel pits grow up in grey birch. There was also an area that I know of where some prospectors used a dozer to scrape off the top soil in a grid fashion. The area they tore up regenerated to grey birch. It's not considered a crop tree in young thinnings, but I know for sure there has been all kinds of it hauled to the pulp plant. It's just a tall shrub here, the branches are wirey-like and the leaves are triangular and waxy. White birch grows alot bigger and lives alot longer.

We have a small market for aspen veneer up here, but it's not a big price. $110/cord at the marketing board. It's sent over to Nelson-Mirimachi, NB. Prices are down 20 % on pulp.

[twistedtree]

I made the comment about it not being White Birch because, from what I can tell, the names get mixed up quite a bit.  For example, according to my Audubon Guide to North American Trees

Yellow Birch is sometimes called Gray Birch

Gray Birch is sometimes called White Birch

Paper Birch is sometimes called White Birch

There is no actual specied called White Birch

European White Birch is an introduced ornamental species and does not grow wild.

It sure leaves me confused when someone talks about White birch

[woodmills1]

I bet it is yellow birch and there is a market for it birch FAS lumber is 1045 per thousand in the hardwood market report this week with 3A at 230

[twistedtree]

I bet it is yellow birch and there is a market for it birch FAS lumber is 1045 per thousand in the hardwood market report this week with 3A at 230

Boy, I wish it were, but no such luck.  I'm quite sure it's grey brich.  I'd post a picture, but it's not obvious to me how to do it.

[Furby]

Here is a link for posting photos:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=12416.0

[SwampDonkey]

Never heard yellow birch being called grey birch. I've heard it called silver birch though, because the bark turns silver instead of gold on some trees. Some veneer buyers will try to convince you that silver birch is a different species, but it ain't. ;)

[SwampDonkey]

Paper Birch is sometimes called White Birch

There is no actual specied called White Birch

European White Birch is an introduced ornamental species and does not grow wild.

Sorry, couldn't let this go uncontested. ;D
North of the 49th, we have always called it white birch as with our neighbors in Maine. ;) White birch grows anywhere in Canada that grows trees and is a significant component of the boreal forest. ;D

[Engineer]

I may be off base with some of these descriptions, but this is how I perceive the birch family here in New England.

Always have called white birch = paper birch (although I don't believe they are the same tree).  Short-lived, you can occasionally find big specimens, but not often, rots quickly and softer than other birches.  These tend to grow in stands until slower-growing species take over.  They die quickly - they can go from a healthy tree to a white-barked telephone pole full of ear mushrooms over a single winter.

Yellow birch - distinct thin gold-yellow bark, hard, makes good pretty lumber but twists badly in my experience.  I have some spalted yellow that is gorgeous.  Can get really big, I have seen some 36-40" DBH specimens on the mountains.

Gray birch - white tending to gray with age, grows lowlands and wet, scraggly shrubby tree, not good for much, ornamental.

Black birch - mature trees resemble cherry, very hard white wood, smells distinctly of wintergreen - this is your "birch beer" tree.  The braces in my timber frame are made of black birch.  It is a great firewood (as is yellow).  Thin, smooth reddish-gray bark on younger trees.

Red birch - a misnomer - actually the heartwood of yellow birch, marketing name.

[wiam]

I have taken paper birch and /or gray birch to the logyard and had them both go as white birch.  I have never seen specs looking for gray or paper.  I was ready to contest the white birch, twistedtree,  then I dug out my Audubon Guide to North American Trees.    Sure enough no white birch,  just  alot of things called that. : :

Will

[SwampDonkey]

In my audubon book only paper birch and gray birch are called white birch. The gray birch gets called white birch by folks that don't know their distinct features. White birch has seed catkins in 2 or 3's, gray birch is single. Leaves of gray birch are glossy and triangular, white birch is obovate and no gloss. White birch bark also peals off in large strips in the wind and is often called canoe birch (birch bark canoe). The paper birch vs white birch thing seems to be a national or regional thing. In parts of Canada they call boxelder, Manitoba maple, such as in New Brunswick. This is because the tree is non native to NB and was transplanted from Manitoba where it grew along the rivers. I've even seen alot of people call silver maple, Manitoba maple and have called it that for years. Paper birch is the same as white birch, I go by the latin name and the local use of the common name. In 'TextBook of Dendrology' they list by latin name with the common names (paper birch, white birch) beside. They list Betula populifolia with one common name (gray birch). On crusie tally sheets we use gB = gray birch, wB = white birch and yB = Yellow birch. I agree with everythign else Engineer said in his post. 

[twistedtree]

Thanks for all the comments.  It's possible I'm confusing Grey Birch and Paper Birch - I'll have to check the leaves.  But, I think they are both junk, right?

[SwampDonkey]

Nope, white birch is marketed as veneer, sawlogs and spool wood.

Locally CD$425-563.62/mfbm sawlogs (includes yellow birch) 2 clear face, 10"+
Prime + Veneer US$1761.25/mfbm (includes yellow birch) min 8'9", no defects
Select Veneer US$880.63/mfbm (inludes yellow birch) min 8'9", no defects
No 4 Veneer US$513.70/mfbm (inludes yellow birch) min 8'9", no defects

[twistedtree]

There's hope - those a decent prices.

[SwampDonkey]

Thanks for all the comments.  It's possible I'm confusing Grey Birch and Paper Birch - I'll have to check the leaves.  But, I think they are both junk, right?

18 inch White Birch on my uncle's woodlot. There is an undergrowth of beech, as most mature beech was removed for firewood leaving birch, maple, aspen, fir, white pine and red spruce. This is the delemna of single tree selection of hardwood stands with beech.



White birch crown

Surely not junk. ;)

[brucehuggins]

Betula Papyrifera, Paper Birch
Birchhttp://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/betula/papyrifera.htm

[D Martin]

Was white birch ever a protected tree in New England? I seem to recall it being so when I was a a youngster 30 or so yrs ago.

[SwampDonkey]

Was white birch ever a protected tree in New England? I seem to recall it being so when I was a a youngster 30 or so yrs ago.

I don't know if it was protected. It wouldn't be hard to get seed or seedlings to establish white birch, but we did have a white birch die back.

Forum Link

[Gunny]

twist:

Don't know about the NE market but one the the biggies here in MI retails "Select" Aspen for over $1.50/BF, rough-sawn, kd to 7%.  I've sold a scad (many whacks) of it,4/4 sawn, for the last 12 years or so.  It dries VERY quickly/nicely and planes-up beautifully (some of the cabinet guys call it "white wood").  I use it for all kinds of projects from street luges/butt boards to canopy bed frames for the g-kids.  I've even "grown" it into barn/weathered wood over the years since it almost always weathers into a gun-metal gray patina.

For sure, don't sell it for pulp if you can saw it and dry it!

[thecfarm]

I live in Maine and sold my white birch at log length.Some take it 54" or 56"and other short lengths.Just depends how much time you want to use a tape measure on it. The place that I sold to has gone out of buisness.There is money in it.Most of mine is gone.We chased it all time.We had a good market for it.