“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.” — Benjamin Franklin. “The cost of freedom is always high, but ...

Walking along the banks of a river, through a young forest, or along a city street, there is a tree that stands out from the rest. At first glance it might appear to be just another paper birch, but ...

Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. River birch has been called "the most beautiful of American trees" by Prince ...

Few shade trees are as distinctive in the home landscape as birch trees. Their unique bark characteristics, distinctive growth form and graceful delicate foliage are reason alone to feature one or ...

* What it is: A small-home-friendly version of our native river birch tree that's more compact and not as fast-growing as the species. Has the same cinnamon-colored peeling bark and yellow fall ...

Paper birch, though, is so much more. According to the National Park Service, there is evidence of the trees being used by ...

Mary Jo DiLonardo has worked in print, online, and broadcast journalism for 25 years and covers nature, health, science, and animals. Young trees sometimes have smooth bark that's unbroken by ridges.