River or Red Birch (Betula nigra)

Form

In Wisconsin, normally 40 to 60 feet in height and 1 to 2 feet in diameter; often forking low to the ground and forming a broad, spreading crown.

Bark

Dark brown at base of old trunks and deeply furrowed; higher up on main stem and on larger branches, becomes lustrous reddish-brown; peels freely in papery layers; these persist on tree and give it a ragged appearance; twigs are reddish color.

Flower

Blossoms in April and May.

Fruit

A catkin, 1 to 1 1/2 inches in length; contains numerous little winged seeds; seed ripens in late spring or early summer.

Range

Grows along rich bottomlands of streams and rivers in southwestern corner of state, especially in Mississippi and Wisconsin River Valleys.

Wood

Light brown heartwood with thick, pale sapwood, close-grained, hard, strong; however, since this tree is scattered in its distribution and mostly confined to banks of streams, it does not figure largely for commercial pulpwood or lumber, but is used to a great extent for fuel; used some in furniture manufacturing.