Here in Sweden, northern Europe, the white birch trees are al over. But everyone around here knows that you should never cut anything from the tree otherwise it will be hollow in a year or two. The bark is good firestarter and the wood has many advantages for firewood. Mainly because sawdust and other stuff don't stick to the wood so it doesn't make a mess when you bringing it to your stove. But if you cut it down and don't process it within a month or two it rutten because the bark hold the water trapped in the wood.
I can't believe you don't have more subs. Iv been following you for a few years and I've learned so much watching your videos. Thanks again for all the effort you put into your channel
I remember I had a couple small birch in my front paddock. While they looked very healthy, I leaned on one and it fell straight over! completely rotten at the base!
Glad to see you finally got some rain! I hope it continues so the trees have a chance to survive. The birch are lovely and it's sad to see them injured on purpose and lost. (I really love the muscle you displayed on knocking that one over!)
Love the content honestly haves learned a lot from your videos 3 years into tree work and still watch your videos and always learn something I got a lot of respect for the Og’s who have climbed on a taut line. And still do.
Blair, you had two different European birch trees in your hands. The birch you pushed over is the soft birch Betula pubescens. It grows in and around marches over here in the Netherlands. The one you pulled over by rope is the rough birch Betula pendula. It grows mostly as a pioneer tree from all kind of situations even to dry sand landscapes.
@@arboristBlairGlenn as a local tree officer, arborist and dendrologist in The Netherlands I have 9500 trees in my care and some 650 different species and cultivars. Among them some 20 birches. Every year I visit 2 great tree nurserys to exchange experiences with all kind of trees and order new trees for local projects. Learn a lot from your American experiences. Thanks for that
That makes me feel great, that I had my birch tree removed last friday. The stump left over (15 inches diameter) seemed solid enough, but one of the splits was dry and brittle and overhanging the fence and had command of my neighbors covered patio. Which it shed on during every fall. So that worry is gone for them and for me too.
2 года назад
I subscribed today. Real interesting topics related to trees and more. Greetings from coast live oak area. Santa Clarita California. Exactly Newhall, Calif!
Welcome! Thanks for subscribing. There is a lot in this channel. Hope you enjoy my efforts. Blair
2 года назад
@@arboristBlairGlenn Blair, I grew up on the foothills of the great Kings Canyon National Park. 28 miles south west of Fresno. Lived in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Flood area of Houston, Saginaw MI, Jungles of San José Costa Rica and on my dad's farm in Tequila Country in the beautiful state of Jalisco México. 7248ft above sea level. Always been fascinated wirh trees. I'll learn with your posts for sure. Keep up the good posts!
In Southern Britain the most common decay fungi on "Silver Birch" Betula pendula is Birch polypore, Piptoporus betulinus, which the trees carry within them through life as latent propagules. The fungi is triggered into development by pruning/topping or accident damage. After all birch trees are a bit like us, most are here just to reproduce and don't have any defence mechanism to ward of decay unlike some other trees, that is why they should not be hard pruned or topped. As a landscape tree they do not cast a lot of unwanted shade but are disliked by some folks for the pollen and seeds cast and mist of honeydew from sap sucking aphids. On dry soils it is not a long lived tree especially if mutilated.
That was a really good video yeah we finally are getting some rain here in Connecticut now too yeah the birch trees we have here don't last very long we don't have too many left here anymore such a pretty tree it's too bad
In Sweden it was and is quite common to plant birch trees in towns along roads for fire safety. The birch trees make the eventually fire to stop... hard to explain but its a real thing.
@@arboristBlairGlenn The swedish city Umeå is most known for it. After a huge fire in the city 1888 they planted thousands of birch trees to stop the fire from spreading from house to house. Umeå is known as "city of birch trees" roughly translated.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I have an arborist question for you regarding a topped Canary Island Pine. I need help deciding which leader to keep. Can I hire you to help me over FaceTime?
I lived near that Tall Antenna on Summit Rd. A friend bought a log home, a kit. It wasn't inspected. The wood was hollow! One day in 1998 some termites came out of a beam.... it was like a liquid. Thousands came maybe 2 feet out and then the Thousands of them just went back in.... it was over in seconds. It would have been easy to miss. They were like a giant drop of water.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Don't know what he did. I moved two years later ...the entire log home was hollowed out. 1500sqft. The previous owned didn't disclose it and the bank didn't have it inspected before closing sale!
In New Jersey in my area, we don’t see many birch’s I do not no why. There used to be a lot more, we used to have a birch on are property but I don’t remember what happened to it, mostly my trees on my property are ash trees, pines, and maples lots of maples.
Birches are beautiful trees but they can get really nasty if they decay. Especially when they go all soft and mushy. Sadly you see lots of topped birches over here as well.
Was wondering if you were on a deserted island yesterday? Just a couple things, seems bull/pull ropes never go away, they just get shorter, hey? As for the ornamental birch, though beautiful they're just not worth planting, even in ideal conditions because of longevity for one. However, here in Michigan groves of the natives are spectacular! Often when looking for mushrooms, we bring back the bark to twine to our candles. All sizes and so easy to do, next time make some for your daughter and wife!
I guess termites operate differently in a climate like yours in California. Here, the termites swarm once...in the spring. You don't need to worry much about bringing them in in firewood or woodchips.
Blair, I love your intros. Which bird of prey calls have you included in this one? And I’ve been meaning to ask the same question about your ‘bacon frying’ intro too.
This is a red tail hawk that I observed one day and captured the sound. It was rather high so possible red shoulder hawk. Now I need to listen to the bacon intro again. Like I said, I try to break up my videos.
@@arboristBlairGlenn There are two: Betula glandulsa and B. occidentalis. I think the answer is that they are too shrubby and don’t have a nice growth form. …but you could always plant an alder! It’s in the same family :)
I live in Concord Ca. My 19 yr old White Birch has one trunk (which was topped last winter by utility company) now looks to be dying. Is there any fertilizer/ treatment I can do to help bring it back? The 2 other trunks that come from main trunk are healthy. They were not topped. Hope you can suggest some things to possibly save my lovely tree.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Skin conditions like dandruff or psoriasis (applied as birch oil or tar soap) , for wood surface finishing, as natural glue (in the stone age arrow heads were glued on with birch tar),...
We used to climb the skinnier smaller ones and then kick our feet out while still holding on. We called it "parachuting" trees. :-P They would bend and let us down to the ground softly.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Yep tell me about it lol Been MANY years since I tried that. :-P If anything I gathered some Birch bark for a firestarter for my tent woodstove.
Now I am a sudden cardiac arrest survivor, cancer survivor and partial spinal decapitation survivor all in one... so I am not doing anything crazy these days.
This tree is one of my favourites for hand carving. It hurts to see you chipping it. Betula pendula, or Silver Birch as we call it in the U.K. , is far away the most common Birch here. Our naturally damp climate suits it well. It is our most frequent tree ‘coloniser’ species. The first tree to regrow in a deforested area.
City crews don't top trees. It's the homeowners who do it, or the tree companies they hire. The ONLY instance of topping that I am aware of by city crews were in a different country where they pollarded sycamore trees.
@@need100k Yes, but with mulberries and a few other species, the trees handle it quite well for a long time. To me, they look like hell, but folks there seem content with it. Pollarding is just a "nicer" way of dooming a tree. Notice on the sycamores, even a horticultural cut results in sucker growth and core rot.
@arboristblairglenn I have an arborist question for you regarding a topped Canary Island Pine. I need help deciding which leader to keep. Can I hire you to help me over FaceTime?
Feels like the suffer from existing. Even where I'm located, which isn't suffering from drought as badly as the west-coast, I would categorize them as a temporary tree at best.
I appreciate you filming when the birds came to eat the termites, what a feast. Thank you for taking us with you as always
That was a surprise to me too.
Here in Sweden, northern Europe, the white birch trees are al over. But everyone around here knows that you should never cut anything from the tree otherwise it will be hollow in a year or two.
The bark is good firestarter and the wood has many advantages for firewood. Mainly because sawdust and other stuff don't stick to the wood so it doesn't make a mess when you bringing it to your stove. But if you cut it down and don't process it within a month or two it rutten because the bark hold the water trapped in the wood.
Thanks for the great video 😊
Thanks for being a part of this community. It helps me a lot if you can share my videos with other like minded folks like yourself!
I just found your channel - glad to be here I love trees and learning about them. Thank you for sharing your knowledge… 😁
Welcome. My videos date back to 2007 when RUclips first kicked off. With over 1200 videos, I’m sure you will find value in my efforts.
Blair
I can't believe you don't have more subs. Iv been following you for a few years and I've learned so much watching your videos. Thanks again for all the effort you put into your channel
I don’t promote my channel
I remember I had a couple small birch in my front paddock. While they looked very healthy, I leaned on one and it fell straight over! completely rotten at the base!
Good to hear from you Sam
Great video. Bravo!
Glad you enjoyed this one
Glad to see you finally got some rain! I hope it continues so the trees have a chance to survive. The birch are lovely and it's sad to see them injured on purpose and lost. (I really love the muscle you displayed on knocking that one over!)
We need it so bad
Love the content honestly haves learned a lot from your videos 3 years into tree work and still watch your videos and always learn something I got a lot of respect for the Og’s who have climbed on a taut line. And still do.
Og’s means “old guys”? Yeah, I’m old
Blair, you had two different European birch trees in your hands. The birch you pushed over is the soft birch Betula pubescens. It grows in and around marches over here in the Netherlands. The one you pulled over by rope is the rough birch Betula pendula. It grows mostly as a pioneer tree from all kind of situations even to dry sand landscapes.
Very observant of you to note the differences in these two birch species. I looked it up and there are over 70 different types of birch tree!
@@arboristBlairGlenn as a local tree officer, arborist and dendrologist in The Netherlands I have 9500 trees in my care and some 650 different species and cultivars. Among them some 20 birches. Every year I visit 2 great tree nurserys to exchange experiences with all kind of trees and order new trees for local projects. Learn a lot from your American experiences. Thanks for that
That makes me feel great, that I had my birch tree removed last friday. The stump left over (15 inches diameter) seemed solid enough, but one of the splits was dry and brittle and overhanging the fence and had command of my neighbors covered patio. Which it shed on during every fall. So that worry is gone for them and for me too.
I subscribed today. Real interesting topics related to trees and more. Greetings from coast live oak area. Santa Clarita California. Exactly Newhall, Calif!
Welcome! Thanks for subscribing. There is a lot in this channel. Hope you enjoy my efforts.
Blair
@@arboristBlairGlenn Blair, I grew up on the foothills of the great Kings Canyon National Park. 28 miles south west of Fresno. Lived in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Flood area of Houston, Saginaw MI, Jungles of San José Costa Rica and on my dad's farm in Tequila Country in the beautiful state of Jalisco México. 7248ft above sea level. Always been fascinated wirh trees. I'll learn with your posts for sure. Keep up the good posts!
Where I live in Sweden we have an abundance of birch! Love them
I would love to see Sweden someday
Again, nice video. Thanks for making them!
Glad you follow my efforts. I is a labor of love for me.
In Southern Britain the most common decay fungi on "Silver Birch" Betula pendula is Birch polypore, Piptoporus betulinus, which the trees carry within them through life as latent propagules. The fungi is triggered into development by pruning/topping or accident damage. After all birch trees are a bit like us, most are here just to reproduce and don't have any defence mechanism to ward of decay unlike some other trees, that is why they should not be hard pruned or topped. As a landscape tree they do not cast a lot of unwanted shade but are disliked by some folks for the pollen and seeds cast and mist of honeydew from sap sucking aphids. On dry soils it is not a long lived tree especially if mutilated.
Great feedback. Glad to have you as part of this community of shared knowledge. Keep contributing please.
Glad to know. I was considered bonsai..
These trees need more mulch in warmer places, i reckon it rotted from over watering
Here in England we call them Silver Birch, a lovely tree indeed. I had one in my garden too near the house so had to have it removed.
There are over 70 different types of birch tree
That was a really good video yeah we finally are getting some rain here in Connecticut now too yeah the birch trees we have here don't last very long we don't have too many left here anymore such a pretty tree it's too bad
If people could learn to stop pruning them, they might have a chance. They do need a fair bit of water.
In Sweden it was and is quite common to plant birch trees in towns along roads for fire safety. The birch trees make the eventually fire to stop... hard to explain but its a real thing.
Wow, that is interesting I didnt know that. :)
Never heard that
@@arboristBlairGlenn The swedish city Umeå is most known for it. After a huge fire in the city 1888 they planted thousands of birch trees to stop the fire from spreading from house to house. Umeå is known as "city of birch trees" roughly translated.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I have an arborist question for you regarding a topped Canary Island Pine. I need help deciding which leader to keep. Can I hire you to help me over FaceTime?
birch is very good firewood, it burns very hot!
I lived near that Tall Antenna on Summit Rd. A friend bought a log home, a kit. It wasn't inspected. The wood was hollow! One day in 1998 some termites came out of a beam.... it was like a liquid. Thousands came maybe 2 feet out and then the Thousands of them just went back in.... it was over in seconds. It would have been easy to miss. They were like a giant drop of water.
Did he replace the beam?
@@arboristBlairGlenn Don't know what he did. I moved two years later ...the entire log home was hollowed out. 1500sqft. The previous owned didn't disclose it and the bank didn't have it inspected before closing sale!
In New Jersey in my area, we don’t see many birch’s I do not no why. There used to be a lot more, we used to have a birch on are property but I don’t remember what happened to it, mostly my trees on my property are ash trees, pines, and maples lots of maples.
there is a bunch by me by I live near the Delaware so maybe thats why.
Birches are beautiful trees but they can get really nasty if they decay. Especially when they go all soft and mushy. Sadly you see lots of topped birches over here as well.
Was wondering if you were on a deserted island yesterday? Just a couple things, seems bull/pull ropes never go away, they just get shorter, hey? As for the ornamental birch, though beautiful they're just not worth planting, even in ideal conditions because of longevity for one. However, here in Michigan groves of the natives are spectacular! Often when looking for mushrooms, we bring back the bark to twine to our candles. All sizes and so easy to do, next time make some for your daughter and wife!
I should pay more attention to birch bark. Candles? Uhh, maybe
@@arboristBlairGlenn also on cheap picture frames. an exacto knife and hot glue..Damn, I am getting old...lol
I guess termites operate differently in a climate like yours in California. Here, the termites swarm once...in the spring. You don't need to worry much about bringing them in in firewood or woodchips.
Blair, I love your intros. Which bird of prey calls have you included in this one? And I’ve been meaning to ask the same question about your ‘bacon frying’ intro too.
This is a red tail hawk that I observed one day and captured the sound. It was rather high so possible red shoulder hawk. Now I need to listen to the bacon intro again. Like I said, I try to break up my videos.
Some Biologists believe that the combined weight of all ants and termites would surpass that of all other animals combined !...
Interesting to think about that. Insects do rule the world.
The rain was wonderful! I wonder why more people don't plant one of our native birches. Maybe they don't do well in landscaping.
In California, I don’t see any native birch. Need to research that
@@arboristBlairGlenn There are two: Betula glandulsa and B. occidentalis. I think the answer is that they are too shrubby and don’t have a nice growth form. …but you could always plant an alder! It’s in the same family :)
I live in Concord Ca. My 19 yr old White Birch has one trunk (which was topped last winter by utility company) now looks to be dying. Is there any fertilizer/ treatment I can do to help bring it back? The 2 other trunks that come from main trunk are healthy. They were not topped. Hope you can suggest some things to possibly save my lovely tree.
Whenever I find a dead birch I collect the bark and make birch tar from it.
Birch tar? For what purpose?
@@arboristBlairGlenn Skin conditions like dandruff or psoriasis (applied as birch oil or tar soap) , for wood surface finishing, as natural glue (in the stone age arrow heads were glued on with birch tar),...
We used to climb the skinnier smaller ones and then kick our feet out while still holding on. We called it "parachuting" trees. :-P They would bend and let us down to the ground softly.
To be a child again
@@arboristBlairGlenn Yep tell me about it lol Been MANY years since I tried that. :-P If anything I gathered some Birch bark for a firestarter for my tent woodstove.
Now I am a sudden cardiac arrest survivor, cancer survivor and partial spinal decapitation survivor all in one... so I am not doing anything crazy these days.
@@chrisw5742 sorry Chris
@@arboristBlairGlenn thanks
This tree is one of my favourites for hand carving. It hurts to see you chipping it. Betula pendula, or Silver Birch as we call it in the U.K. , is far away the most common Birch here. Our naturally damp climate suits it well. It is our most frequent tree ‘coloniser’ species. The first tree to regrow in a deforested area.
I have not heard this to be a good carving wood. I’m going to give it a try!
Thanks!
alfa would be proud
I've never understood why citys top there trees it makes them smaller and becomes a maintenance tree.
Probably the same reason they plant every parkway tree six inches to deep.
City crews don't top trees. It's the homeowners who do it, or the tree companies they hire. The ONLY instance of topping that I am aware of by city crews were in a different country where they pollarded sycamore trees.
@@need100k They also do it in Texas with mulberry's
@@tymesho - Technically though, pollarding isn't topping, but if it's done it must be done correctly.
@@need100k Yes, but with mulberries and a few other species, the trees handle it quite well for a long time. To me, they look like hell, but folks there seem content with it. Pollarding is just a "nicer" way of dooming a tree. Notice on the sycamores, even a horticultural cut results in sucker growth and core rot.
buymeacoffee.com/blairglenn
Super allergenic trees, I think they're beautiful but would never plant one.
Tree allergies are a problem with some of my clients. I understand.
In New Jersey, they call these "boich" trees. Just sayin'.
👍🏻
@arboristblairglenn I have an arborist question for you regarding a topped Canary Island Pine. I need help deciding which leader to keep. Can I hire you to help me over FaceTime?
Send me a photo
Blairglenn@gmail
How high does your pickup truck mounted bucket truck go?
About 42’ to the bucket and as high as I can reach! Good thing I’m tall!
Is that an old bandit 250? I was thinking woodchuck wc17.
Yes, I have 3 of them as well as an old Asplundh
@@arboristBlairGlenn I have on old wc17 lol, very similar
Holy cow that apple tree is huge! I remember when I was a little boy in Cupertino and we had a large apple tree, but it wasn't nearly that big.
Did the chanterelles you found last year or the year before return?
Sadly, no. Went back to the same spot, nothing. Many times, nothing!
Hello
I've always loved birch trees, but they are delicate. Sad to see so many of them suffering from drought.
Feels like the suffer from existing. Even where I'm located, which isn't suffering from drought as badly as the west-coast, I would categorize them as a temporary tree at best.
They also are being attacked by the. Bronze Birch Borer.
Very cool video. You have a charming delivery. ❤ What about the Duraheat birch? Will it get big and decay, or have you found them to be more sound?😮