Today, the use of the black birch for essential oil has declined as synthetic oil products have gained popularity. The wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) is distilled from the wood of the black birch. At one point, the black birch was the only source of oil of wintergreen, an essential oil known for its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, insecticidal, and antioxidant properties. The most important fungi include white trunk rot ( Phellinus igniarius), yellow cap fungus ( Pholiota limonella), and Nectria canker ( Nectria galligena), while the most prevalent leaf-eating insects include birch tubemaker ( Acrobasis betulella), birch skeletonizer ( Bucculatrix canadensisella), oriental moth ( Cnidocampa flavescens), gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar), and dusky birch sawfly ( Croesus latitarsus).īlack birch has many commercial uses. Several species fungi and leaf-feeding insects attack the black birch and can cause decay and/or disease, ultimately proving lethal. Ice damage usually causes death of black birch by making the tree more susceptible to wood decaying organisms. Specifically, the black birch is fairly resistant to glaze (ice) in comparison to other hardwood species of the northern hemisphere. However, the black birch is not very susceptible to winter killing and is moderately resistant to drought. Black birch are also susceptible to fire damage. Efforts to cross the black birch and yellow birch have been successful, though the hybrid generation has low vigor and low seed germination rates.īlack birch trees are classified as intolerant of shade and in densely populated areas where there is no access to sunlight, the trees will succumb to competition. It is often found growing alongside the related yellow birch, which is a closely genetically related species. Black birch is a native species to the Appalachian region of the United States.
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