Potential of Birch (Betula pendula Roth and B. pubescens Ehrh.) for Forestry and Forest-Based Industry Sector within the Changing Climatic and Socio-Economic Context of Western Europe

Abstract

Five commercial tree species comprise nearly 80% of the forest standing stock volume in Western Europe. Nowadays, there is a strong need to consider a wider diversity of tree species, as evidenced by the impact of climate change and the forest health crises over the past decades. In this context, this study focuses on the potential of birch (Betula pendula Roth and Betula pubescens Ehrh.), a neglected indigenous species, for forestry and the forest-based industry sector. We have therefore compiled, analyzed, and discussed literature regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the species and the opportunities and threats of its use for this purpose. Among the strengths, birch tolerates various climates and sites, and high genetic variability promotes its adaptability. Birch improves forest resilience by colonizing forest gaps and quickly increasing soil functioning and biodiversity. Birch is also remarkably resistant to game overpopulation-associated damage. Large-sized logs are produced within relatively short periods with proper silvicultural treatment, and the wood characteristics allow versatile and valuable uses, as shown in Northern Europe. However, its weaknesses include high sensitivity to crown competition and to wood rot as challenges for silviculture. Among the opportunities, birch is well-suited to the global changes with its adaptability to climate change and its possible integration in diverse productive mixed tree stands. In the context of societal evolutions and customer perceptions, birch wood could play an increasing role in the building and furniture sectors, and among non-wood forest products. In Western Europe, the main obstacle to birch development is the lack of information on the wood uses and, consequently, the lack of interest among forest managers and wood processing professionals, which have led to a poor quality of the resource and to insufficient demand for its wood. Moreover, its fast height growth can affect the vitality of other species in mixed stands. Our analysis highlighted the potential of birch in the Western European forestry considering societal, ecological, and economic purposes in a changing climatic and socio-economic context and the need to (i) develop opportunities for industrial uses of birch wood, (ii) inform forest owners, managers, and industrial professionals about the potential value of birch, and (iii) define silvicultural guidelines.

Utilization of Birch Bark as an Eco-Friendly Filler in Urea-Formaldehyde Adhesives for Plywood Manufacturing

“…This publication is focused only on fillers made from birch bark ( Betula verrucosa Ehrh.). Birch is a high-quality raw material for plywood processing which has been extensively used in plywood industry [ 35 , 36 ]. If birch is used for manufacturing veneer-based products by wood peeling, it must be debarked and therefore it is assumed that considerable amounts of bark are available in plywood mills which need to be further utilized [ 37 , 38 ].…”

Characterization, Cultivation, and Chloroplast Genome Analysis of Betula Fujianensis

“…Birches have received a growing interest because of their high tolerance to environmental conditions and helping in afforestation (Dubois et al 2020). The available data on birch is largely from silver birch (Betula pendula) and white birch (Betula pubescens) studies, which were the most common species (Jonczak et al 2020).…”

“…Birch is highly resistant to chemical pollutants and has great phytoremediation potential (Jonczak et al 2020;Renou-Wilson et al 2010). Besides, birch shows rapid growth in early stages, and can quickly dominate a new area, thus improving the soil functioning to create favorable conditions for other tree species (Dubois et al 2020). In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in afforestation using birch (Dubois et al 2020).…”

Climate Analogues for Temperate European Forests –Forestry Practice Profits From Silvicultural Evidence in Twin Regions

“…Scots pine may not necessarily count to first 0-group but requires at least caution; the decline in prevalence is strong and it is not clear how far the persistence even in climates of extremely hot and dry summers is due to local provenances [94][95][96]. The same doubts apply to birch, a typical pioneer species, however, in contrast to Scots pine rather tolerated by forestry than actively promoted [97]. The focus of a climate adaptive forestry lies therefore on the species in the center of the icicle graphs.…”