Birch Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus "Betula" contains 30 to 60 known taxa of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Green List of Threatened Species. They are a typically rather short-lived pioneer species widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern areas of temperate climates and in boreal climates. Birch species are generally small to medium-sized trees or shrubs, mostly of northern temperate and boreal climates. The simple leaves
Northern celestial hemisphere referred to as the Northern Hemisphere. For the purpose of celestial mapping, astronomers may conceive the sky as the inside of a sphere divided into two halves by the celestial equator. The Northern Sky or Northern Hemisphere is therefore the half of the celestial sphere that is north of the celestial equator. Even if this geocentric model is the ideal projection of the terrestrial equator onto the imaginary celestial sphere, the northern and southern celestial hemispheres is not to be confused with descriptions of the terrestrial hemispheres of Earth itself. Northern celestial hemisphere The northern celestial hemisphere, also called the