Betula papyrifera very toxic to paper birch. It is frequently planted as an ornamental due to its graceful form and attractive bark. The bark changes to the white color at about 3 years of growth. Paper birch grows best in USDA zones 2-6, due to its intolerance of high temperatures. "Betula nigra", or river birch, is recommended for warm-climate areas warmer than zone 6 where paper birch is rarely successful. "B. papyrifera" is more resistant to the bronze birch borer than "Betula pendula" which is similarly planted as a landscape tree. Birch skeletonizer is a small larva which feeds on the leaves
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