Tree Talk: July 5, 2021

This week’s featured tree is birch. Beloved for its graceful branching and distinctive naturally peeling bark, there are a number of large specimens scattered throughout the city of New

Rockford. Birch trees display lustrous green leaves in summer and bright yellow foliage in fall. During our long winters, the showy colors and textures of peeling birch bark are fully revealed. Paper birch is native to North Dakota, found in the northern Turtle Mountains, the Pembina Gorge, and also west, in the Killdeer Mountains. It is from the western stand that a selection was discovered and developed by NDSU, available in the nursery trade as ‘Prairie Dream’.

Another birch to try is ‘Northern Tribute’ river birch, an NDSU selection from the city of Dickinson. It features a rich cinnamon-brown bark that is more drought tolerant than white bark birches, and has shown good tolerance to alkaline soils – a perfect fit for North Dakota. The healthiest stands of birch in nature are found in cool, moist soils and in groups of hundreds of trees. We often plant birches as a solitary tree in a sunny front yard. This can be a very stressful site since birches are sensitive to heat. A north or east facing location is the best choice for a birch, to keep it out of the harsh afternoon sun. Use a thin layer of organic mulch, like shredded bark and wood chips, to keep the soil cool and moist. Never use rock mulch as this will trap heat, create stress, and can attract native borers, which will attack and cause top dieback on stressed birch trees. So, this is a good reminder to know a bit about the needs of a particular tree before you make an investment to purchase, plant and care for any additions to your landscape.

Take a Look: See a ‘Prairie Dream’ paper birch recently planted on the 1100 block of 3rd Ave North.

REMINDER: WATER your trees, both young and old. Small trees need five gallons of water, twice a week. Large trees (especially birch!!) should be watered beneath the entire canopy, with a slow-flowing hose. Water early in the morning or in the evening, as this is when trees replace the water they’ve lost during the day and less water is lost to evaporation. Add mulch to lower soil temperatures, reduce water evaporation, and keep mowers and weed trimmers away from the trunks.