Silver birch (Betula pendula): what the forestry bodies record

This page reports what forestry bodies say about one tree. It does not identify trees from descriptions or photos and does not say what should be done with any tree. Each fact names its source, all read on October 9, 2026. The family overview is tree species in the agency records.

At a glance

Item	What the source records
Scientific name and family	Betula pendula, family Betulaceae (Woodland Trust)
Origin	Native, one of two native birches in Britain (Forest Research and Woodland Trust)
Height	Up to 30 m when mature (Woodland Trust); the tallest trees reach 30 m (Forest Research)
Life span	Relatively short-lived, put at 70 years (Forest Research); capable of living up to 150 years (EUFORGEN)
Rainfall and exposure	More than 450 mm of rain preferred; moderate exposure (Forest Research key properties)
Britain	Birch woodland of silver and downy birch together covers c 240,000 (the entry gives no unit), or c 18 percent of Britain's broadleaved woodland (Forest Research)

Range

Forest Research says silver birch is native to all parts of the British Isles up to the tree line and widely distributed across Europe and northern Asia. EUFORGEN, the European forest genetic resources programme, places it across Europe from the Mediterranean to central Siberia, patchier and mostly at higher altitudes at the southern margins such as Italy and Greece. The Woodland Trust says it grows as far south as Spain and as far north as Lapland, and that it hybridises easily with downy birch, Betula pubescens, which is more common in Scotland.

Site and soil

Forest Research calls silver birch a light demanding pioneer species with fast early growth, frost resistant and windfirm. It says the tree grows on a wide range of mineral soils from very poor to medium nutrient status, that on wetter soils it tends to be replaced by downy birch, and that it is the dominant birch on the drier, lighter soils in southern and eastern Britain. It adds that mature trees often die after a severe drought, naming 1976 and 2003. EUFORGEN says the tree thrives on fertile and well-drained soils, is typically found in open woodlands and heathlands with plenty of sunlight, tolerates poor soils and a wide range of climates, and is vulnerable to drought.

Look and seed

The Woodland Trust describes white bark that sheds layers like tissue paper and turns black and rugged at the base, with dark diamond-shaped fissures as the tree matures. Leaves are small, light green and triangular with a toothed edge. It says new shoots on silver birch are hairless and warty, where those of downy birch are smooth and covered in soft hairs. Flowers are catkins on the same tree, from April to May, and tiny wind-dispersed seeds are borne in autumn. Forest Research says seed production starts from 15 years of age, with good seed crops most years after that.

Wildlife and wood

The Woodland Trust says silver birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insect species, that its leaves feed the caterpillars of many moths, and that the seeds are eaten by siskins, greenfinches and redpolls. EUFORGEN calls it one of the most commercially important trees in northern Europe, with wood of high specific density used for pulp, fuelwood, timber and plywood. The Woodland Trust says birch wood is tough and heavy and used for furniture, handles and toys, but is of little commercial value in Britain because trees do not grow as large as elsewhere in Europe. Forest Research says it was historically an important source of fuel, charcoal and small wood products, particularly wooden bobbins.

Pests and diseases the sources name

Forest Research records widespread and gradual dieback of birch in some areas, especially in young trees five to ten years after planting. It names two canker fungi, Discula betulina and Marssonina betulae, as particularly associated with the dieback on silver birch, says provenance may be a principal factor in susceptibility, and says the rust fungus Melampsoridium betulinum is considered important on birch in several European countries. It rates birch as very susceptible to Armillaria root rot. The Woodland Trust names Marssonina betulae and Anisogramma virgultorum as the two fungi behind birch dieback and says planted birch appears more susceptible than naturally regenerated birch. Its threats section also links the bronze birch borer, which has its own page, bronze birch borer. Forest Research ends the entry with a TreeAlert report link for suspected cases.

Text on Forest Research is adapted from its tree species database entry and contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.