Alaska Birch

About Alaska Birch in Alberta

Alaska birch is a native but under-recognized northern Alberta birch of cold boreal wetlands, bogs, poorly drained sites, and scattered mixedwood settings. For ARA, its value is strongest when a record documents a carefully identified native wetland or boreal birch, especially a mature tree-form specimen, a range-clarifying population, or a site where Alaska birch, paper birch, water birch, and possible hybrids could otherwise be confused.

Identification: Leaves are thin, triangular to broadly oval or deltate-ovate, usually about 3 to 8 cm long, coarsely doubly serrate, and tapering to a long point. Alberta material emphasizes leaves without hairs in the vein axils, which helps separate Alaska birch from paper birch.

Alberta range and habitat: Alaska birch is native in Alberta and is concentrated mostly in north-central Alberta, extending into the far northeast. The Alberta plan says it is apparently absent from the foothills, mountains, and far northwest, and also notes that no detailed range map was available.