Black/River Birch for roundwood framing

So I live on a farm of almost 300 acres.  Previous owners' (land) tenants planted something like 3000 black/river birch.  Some are clump style yielding smaller caliper trunks/branches, and others are single trunk maybe up to 18" in diameter.  Nice and straight.  The trees were intended as nursery stock, but the restriction on the land made it impossible for them to spade the trees out (soil conservation), and so they were abandoned and grew quite large.

Their presence is an impediment to farming the closest and best parts of the farm.  They are too close together to use for tapping for the long term.  They're getting top heavy because they were planted in acres-large blocks of mono culture.

We have need of buildings here on the farm for work shops, gathering (of people), sheltering of animals, and lodging for folks.

This is my super long way of asking about the suitability of black/river birch for roundwood framing.

Thanks heaps,

With white birch (or paper birch?) the issue is that the bark is waterproof and the wood will rot before it can dry out.  IF you get the bark off of it, I think it might be fine but I'm not positive.

Mike Haasl wrote:With white birch (or paper birch?) the issue is that the bark is waterproof and the wood will rot before it can dry out.  IF you get the bark off of it, I think it might be fine but I'm not positive.

The bark definitely needs to come off.  We've noticed that.  Peeling is (mercifully) easy with the birches.  Wonder what to do with the lovely bark, then?  Wonder if we can get it off in nice big sheets by cutting one long line and peeling around the circumference?

Depending on the time of year that you cut it down (or possibly the time that you try to peel it), it comes off very easily.  I'm not sure what those ideal times are, unfortunately.  Cedar tends to peel very easily in the late spring.

Oh now... peeling a white birch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiucth-WdTM

Unfortunately the best time for peeling is also the worst time for getting dryish timber. When the trees are full of sap the bark will peel very easily, but you have all that water and sugar in the sapwood that makes great food for fungus or other pests. Trees cut in late fall or winter is generally regarded as the best wood; it may still peel reasonably well when spring arrives.

Birches tend to rot faster than many other woods (I am sure species vary), but if used in protected locations not exposed to weather or damp it should work fine. It may be weaker than other woods but using larger timbers will help with that.

Glenn Herbert wrote:Unfortunately the best time for peeling is also the worst time for getting dryish timber. When the trees are full of sap the bark will peel very easily, but you have all that water and sugar in the sapwood that makes great food for fungus or other pests. Trees cut in late fall or winter is generally regarded as the best wood; it may still peel reasonably well when spring arrives.

Birches tend to rot faster than many other woods (I am sure species vary), but if used in protected locations not exposed to weather or damp it should work fine. It may be weaker than other woods but using larger timbers will help with that.

So, am I understanding?  Fell the trees in autumn/winter and store out of the elements, then peel in the spring?  Or have I completely mixed it all up in my brain?

And... a better application might be for interior work that is perhaps less load-bearing?

Thanks heaps!

You can totally use birch for structural purposes, as long as they are protected from the weather so they won't rot. You would need to use larger timbers than if you were building with oak.
Wood strength charts and discussion. Note that yellow birch listed in the charts is significantly stronger than other birch species.


Information on black birch.

Sweet birch is another name for black birch and it is apparently quite strong.

Inspired by your last reply, Glenn, I went researching a little and found this information:

River Birch (Betula nigra)

Super.  This is what we have - about 3000 of them in monoculture on our farm.

We also have about 800 red maple planted in exactly the same way. Lovely and straight because they were planted far too close together for maturing.  They were meant to be removed as young trees and planted in landscapes.

Maybe I need to get myself a sawmill so that I can use both roundwood and make boards, eh?

Okay, so river birch is different from black or sweet birch. It sounds like you hit the jackpot for a useful birch species.

Interestingly, river birch's Latin name, Betula nigra, means black birch, while black/sweet birch's Latin name, Betula lenta, means tough or pliable birch.

With the amount of trees you have, a sawmill sounds like a good plan.