Betula utilis of the tree's native distribution, several forms have orange- or copper-colored bark. "Betula utilis" var. "jacquemontii", from the western end of the native habitat, is widely used because several cultivars have especially white bark. These include: Those cultivars marked have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. "B. utilis" 'Fascination' has an orange- to mahogany-colored bark, which peels off to reveal a polished-looking layer underneath. The bark of 'Wakehurst Place Chocolate', as the name implies, is dark brown to nearly black. Betula utilis Betula utilis (Himalayan birch, bhojpatra, "bhūrjá") is a birch tree native to the Himalayas, growing
Beech bark disease to spread to the south and west. The first case of beech bark disease in the United States was reported in 1929 in Massachusetts. By 2004, the disease had spread as far west as Michigan and as far south as western North Carolina. For beech bark disease to occur, two components are required, an insect and a fungus. The beech scale insect, "Cryptococcus fagisuga", is invasive to North America and is host-specific, feeding exclusively on beech trees. It can be observed on the trunk and limbs of the tree as woolly, white tufts that will later develop into broad strips.