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
Betula utilis from snowmelt, rather than from the monsoon rains. They often have very bent growth due to the pressure of the deep winter snow in the Himalaya. Leaves are ovate, long, with serrated margins, and slightly hairy. Flowering occurs from May–July, with only a few male catkins, and short, single (sometimes paired) female catkins. The perianth has four parts in male flowers, and is absent in the female flowers. Fruits ripen in September–October. The thin, papery bark is very shiny, reddish brown, reddish white, or white, with horizontal lenticels. The bark peels off in broad, horizontal belts, making it very usable