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European white birch

Betula pendula · Betulaceae · all Betula records

Your local evidence lens

Separate evidence questions, never one approval badge

Set a ZIP to compare this record with state distribution, native range, USDA hardiness, and invasive records.

A genus split is not a placement verdict. Set a ZIP to read the local documented split.

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Mixed evidence — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions: 1 condition stated in cited fire-evidence rows.
Fire ecology context: No section-reviewed fire-ecology context is normalized.
Placement evidence: 4 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: Alaska; Catalonia, Spain; Global; Global compilation (published in Australia); Northeast China; Ohio / Midwest; Tasmania, Australia; Virginia / Mid-Atlantic; eastern US
Maintenance: No sourced horticultural maintenance assertion is normalized; fire-test conditions do not supply maintenance advice.

Typed publication scope: 3 scopes across 3 cited fire sources

Protect Your Home from Wildfire — Fire Resistant Vegetation and Landscaping · Official scoped edition
- AK; partial normalized coverage · 2005-04-27
  Alaska Division of Forestry opens with the wildfire threat to Alaskans and publishes Alaska firewise-landscape examples. FireApproved publishes 58 exact source owners from its 60 taxon entries and holds the taxon-free fern label. State publication scope does not establish suitability for every Alaska climate, site, or home-ignition-zone placement.
Firewise Landscaping (OSU Extension Bulletin 921) · Official scoped edition
- OH; partial normalized coverage · 2006-03-01
  Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 921 is an Ohio publication that describes Ohio fire seasons and landscape conditions and labels nativity to Ohio. FireApproved publishes 352 exact source-owning plant records from its eight rated tables. This historical publication scope does not assert current extension endorsement or that a listed plant suits every Ohio site.
Virginia Firescapes — Firewise Landscaping for Woodland Homes (430-300) · Official scoped edition
- VA; partial normalized coverage · 2009-04-15
  Virginia Cooperative Extension's publication opens with Virginia wildfire conditions, identifies its Virginia Firewise Landscaping Task Force, and labels plants native to Virginia. FireApproved publishes 306 exact source owners. Publication scope does not establish parcel suitability or current endorsement of this archived 2009 list.

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution: Documented in CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV.
Native range: Current cited native range in AK.
Introduced / established: 12 sourced range or established records; set a location to match them. This is not an invasive warning.
USDA hardiness: Documented minimum 3b; no upper limit is documented.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status: Set a location for an exact legal-list result; source silence is not clearance.
Seed-list status: Set a location to compare the separate state noxious-weed seed layer.
Reported invasive here: 2 ecological invasive reports; set a location to distinguish exact from regional context.
Broader regional context: Aggregate AK, HI, and L48 evidence is shown only as regional context, never as an exact-state finding.
Federal context: Federal designations remain separate from state legal-list results.

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

European white birch (Betula pendula) — Photo: (c) Нурхайдарова Татьяна, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Form: tree
USDA hardiness: Minimum 3b; upper limit not documented
Mature height: ~50 ft
Light: Part sun
Water need: high
Current cited native range: AK
Grows in: CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KY +16
Rated in: Alaska; Catalonia, Spain; Global; Global compilation (published in Australia) +5
Family: Betulaceae
Evidence: 37 cited sources

Native and introduced range evidence

These are exact U.S. botanical-area records from the cited range source. Native and introduced describe biogeographic relationship, not fire performance or planting approval. Doubtful and extinct rows stay visible but do not count as current presence.

Current native

1

exact source area

Current introduced

12

exact source areas

Qualified

0

doubtful or extinct source rows

1 native source area · World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16 v16, as of 2026-06-04

Alaska (AK)

12 introduced source areas · World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16 v16, as of 2026-06-04

Colorado (CO)
Connecticut (CT)
Illinois (IL)
Massachusetts (MA)
New Hampshire (NH)
New York (NY)
Ohio (OH)
Oregon (OR)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Vermont (VT)
Washington (WA)
Wisconsin (WI)

The lossless worldwide derivative is retained once in the research corpus; object pages repeat only exact U.S. areas needed by the local lens. The JSON twin carries the same page assertions.

Plant hardiness evidence

These values describe the plant source. Your ZIP zone comes from the separate 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Whole-zone values stay whole-zone, and a single unresolved value is not treated as a tolerance range. Different source boundaries stay separate: overlapping statements are compared independently, while only ranges with no shared zone are called a conflict.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector · record betula-pendula · 2016-wayback · as of 2026-08-26

Source prints 4 · single-value meaning unresolved · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Betula pendula · exact match.

Source location: Cold Hardiness Zone field in the recovered selector record.

Not used for comparison: The recovered selector prints one Cold Hardiness Zone value but does not define it as a minimum threshold or a one-zone range.
USDA PLANTS Database — Plant Characteristics · record BEPE3 · PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23 · as of 2026-08-26

Minimum 3b · no upper limit documented · half zone precision · derived containing band

Exact source measurement: -33°F; mapped only to its containing half-zone.

Source taxon: Betula pendula · source identifier match.

Source location: PlantCharacteristics record 70017, Temperature, Minimum (°F).

Conditions in the fire evidence

These describe tested or rated plant material. They are not horticultural maintenance instructions.

cured: Ordering and sorting of fire resistance of tree leaves evidence row

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector: Landscape Zone 3 — 10–30 ft from the structure; thin vegetation, remove debris, and minimize plant massing [Fire Performance Plant Selector landscape zone] (with its recommendation)
Fire Resisting Garden Plants for the Urban Fringe and Rur…: remove from the Building Protection Zone; avoid in the Fuel Modified Zone [Texas Building Protection Zone] (with its avoid rating)
Guía de pirojardinería: suitable inside or outside the 25-metre maximum-risk zone [girona-2020-iuf-25m-suitability] (with its recommendation)
Protect Your Home from Wildfire: Trees [Alaska DNR brochure sections] (with its recommendation)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Avoids (3)

Fire Resisting Garden Plants for the Urban Fringe and Rural Areas — Tasmania Fire Service (Chladil & Sheridan; photographs Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens) · 2017 · original source Primary evidence Expert-curated lineage: utas-tree

“High Flammability”
Ordering and sorting of fire resistance of tree leaves — Scientia Silvae Sinicae (Shan, Hu, Shu, Xu) · 2003 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: shan-nefu-tree

“Author-named worst fire resistance” · condition: cured

The authors place 白桦 among the ten taxa with the worst fire resistance after factor analysis of six litter-leaf traits.

Source wording: “抗火性最不好”
Safer Gardens: Plant Flammability & Planning for Fire — Lesley Corbett / Australian Scholarly Publishing · 2021 book / public sample · original source Corroboration Compilation lineage: meta-aggregator

“‘very flammable’” · original source

The sample says Sheridan's green-leaf test recorded the second-fastest burning rate among 36 plants.

Listed without a rating (29)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

29 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- “ignition frequency (%): 100” · score 100 (FLAMITS — ignition frequency (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 1342; Ignitability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “maximum sample temperature (°C): 490” · score 490 (FLAMITS — maximum sample temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 1536; Combustibility measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “burning duration (s): 16.3” · score 16.3 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 1730; Sustainability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “estimated burnt biomass (%): 45.8” · score 45.8 (FLAMITS — estimated burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 1924; Consumability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “time to flaming (s): 1.71” · score 1.71 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14665; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “time to flaming (s): 1.28” · score 1.28 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14666; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “time to flaming (s): 1.01” · score 1.01 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14667; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 603.13” · score 603.13 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 14677; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 719.52” · score 719.52 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 14678; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 714.64” · score 714.64 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 14679; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “flaming duration (s): 218.4” · score 218.4 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14689; Sustainability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “flaming duration (s): 422.25” · score 422.25 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14690; Sustainability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “flaming duration (s): 360.85” · score 360.85 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14691; Sustainability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2018-1; sampling november and december. Primary study Zhao2018: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van der Werf, G. R., van Hal, J. R., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2018). Disentangling effects of key coarse woody debris fuel properties on its combustion, consumption and carbon gas emissions during experimental laboratory fire. Forest ecology and management, 427, 275-288.
- “burning duration (s): 69.31” · score 69.31 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14739; Sustainability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2019-1; sampling november. Primary study Zhao2019: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van Hal, J. R., Dong, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2019). Non-additive effects of leaf and twig mixtures from different tree species on experimental litter-bed flammability. Plant and Soil, 436, 311-324.
- “burning duration (s): 242.57” · score 242.57 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 14740; Sustainability measurement; plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2019-1; sampling november. Primary study Zhao2019: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van Hal, J. R., Dong, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2019). Non-additive effects of leaf and twig mixtures from different tree species on experimental litter-bed flammability. Plant and Soil, 436, 311-324.
- “burnt biomass (%): 13” · score 13 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 14747; Consumability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2019-1; sampling november. Primary study Zhao2019: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van Hal, J. R., Dong, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2019). Non-additive effects of leaf and twig mixtures from different tree species on experimental litter-bed flammability. Plant and Soil, 436, 311-324.
- “burnt biomass (%): 79” · score 79 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 14748; Consumability measurement; plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2019-1; sampling november. Primary study Zhao2019: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van Hal, J. R., Dong, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2019). Non-additive effects of leaf and twig mixtures from different tree species on experimental litter-bed flammability. Plant and Soil, 436, 311-324.
- “burnt biomass (%): 99.13” · score 99.13 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 14755; Consumability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2019-1; sampling november. Primary study Zhao2019: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van Hal, J. R., Dong, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2019). Non-additive effects of leaf and twig mixtures from different tree species on experimental litter-bed flammability. Plant and Soil, 436, 311-324.
- “burnt biomass (%): 99.78” · score 99.78 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 14756; Consumability measurement; plant part twigs; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Zhao2019-1; sampling november. Primary study Zhao2019: Zhao, W., van Logtestijn, R. S., van Hal, J. R., Dong, M., & Cornelissen, J. H. (2019). Non-additive effects of leaf and twig mixtures from different tree species on experimental litter-bed flammability. Plant and Soil, 436, 311-324.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 344” · score 344 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18682; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 358” · score 358 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18683; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 370” · score 370 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18684; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 381” · score 381 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18685; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “burnt biomass (%): 87.7” · score 87.7 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 18686; Consumability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2985.57” · score 2985.57 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 18687; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 358” · score 358 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18688; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “burnt biomass (%): 86.5” · score 86.5 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 18689; Consumability measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 12.8” · score 12.8 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 18690; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 3057.22” · score 3057.22 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18691; Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Hostikka2017-1; sampling ND. Primary study Hostikka2017: Hostikka, S., & Matala, A. (2017). Pyrolysis Model for Predicting the Heat Release Rate of Birch Wood. Combustion Science and Technology, 189, 13731393.

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Fire-resistant trees listed above

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · ITIS

Betula pendula (European white birch). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/betula-pendula/. Last verified 2026-08-23.