The birch is one of the most striking trees there is. This is mainly due to its light-colored bark. It’s almost white, and you can see that even from a distance. This light color serves an important purpose: it helps the tree cope with large temperature fluctuations.

Here’s how it works: Dark bark heats up faster than light bark; it attracts sunlight, so to speak. Maybe you’ve noticed this—when you wear a black T-shirt, it can sometimes get really hot in the sun.
So when tree trunks are frozen in winter and the sun shines on one side, the dark bark there warms up quickly. It expands, while the shaded side remains frozen and rigid. This can lead to cracks—but not with the birch! The light-colored bark reflects the sunlight, and the tree trunk warms up more slowly and gently, so the surface doesn’t crack.

And now take a really close look at the trunk again: You might notice that older layers of bark are peeling away from the tree. Larger pieces curl up and twist outward. Beneath them, new, light-colored bark keeps appearing.
The birch’s crown is also distinctive. It looks loose and light, and the thin branches often hang down slightly.

Birch trees don’t need insects to reproduce—that is, to ensure there are always new birch trees. They rely on the wind. Starting in April, they produce large amounts of yellowish pollen, which is carried through the air to other birch trees. For some people, however, this also means hay fever. And cars parked under a birch tree often end up with yellow windows and roofs completely covered in dust.

Birch trees grow quickly and produce seeds early on. These seeds can spread over several kilometers. This allows the birch to colonize areas where other tree species cannot yet grow. That is why it is called a pioneer tree species. After forest fires, birch trees are often among the first to regrow, thus marking the beginning of a new forest.

Humans have also made use of the birch. In some forestry operations in the GDR, thousands of birch trees were tapped every spring until reunification. This yielded large quantities of birch sap, which was used to make products such as wine, lemonade, or hair tonic. You can still find birch sap in some stores today.
In many myths, the birch symbolizes femininity and new beginnings. That is why it is sometimes called the “women’s birch.”

Key Facts About the Bog Birch

This tree was measured in 2025. It is about 9 meters tall and has a trunk circumference of 46 centimeters. Approximately 620 kilograms of carbon are stored in its wood, branches, and roots. Each year, the birch also absorbs about 42 kilograms of CO₂ from the air—roughly the same amount produced by a 385-kilometer car trip. It also retains around 600 liters of rainwater. Its leaves collect about 581 grams of particulate matter from the air. Through photosynthesis, it produces about 112 kilograms of oxygen annually, which is equivalent to an adult’s oxygen needs for approximately 181 days.