Betula utilis to overuse of the tree for firewood. "Betula utilis" was described and named by botanist David Don in his "Prodromus Florae Nepalensis" (1825), from specimens collected by Nathaniel Wallich in Nepal in 1820. "Betula jacquemontii" (Spach), first described and named in 1841, was later found to be a variety of "B. utilis", and is now "Betula utilis" var. "jacquemontii". In its native habitat, "B. utilis" tends to form forests, growing as a shrub or tree reaching up to tall. It frequently grows among scattered conifers, with an undergrowth of shrubs that typically includes evergreen "Rhododendron". The tree depends on moisture
Beech bark disease The woolly, white tufts and broad strips are the colonies of the beech scale insect that are formed in tiny crevices along the bark. An adult beech scale insect has a soft body, is yellow in color, ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter long, and has an elliptical shape. The beech scale insect also has a stylet that it uses to penetrate the bark of the tree for feeding purposes. There are no male beech scale insects and the female insects reproduce parthenogenetically. In mid to late summer, the beech scale insect lays its eggs and dies. The eggs are