Dahurian Birch

About Dahurian Birch in Alberta

Dahurian Birch is an East Asian ornamental birch with dark gray-brown to blackish exfoliating bark that makes it especially distinctive in winter. In Alberta it is a foreign planted species, best treated as an uncommon specialty or collector tree rather than a standard boulevard birch. For ARA, notable examples are most likely on campuses, in arboreta, collector gardens, or deliberate specimen plantings where rarity and bark display give the tree heritage value.

Identification: Leaves are deciduous, alternate, ovate to rhombic-ovate, sharply serrated, and dark green in summer. Fall colour is yellow. Leaf traits support birch identification, but bark is the stronger field character.

Alberta range and habitat: Dahurian Birch is native to East Asia, not Alberta. It has no native Alberta wild distribution.