The Gray Birch appears in embankments and burned-over areas. It is rarely more than 30 feet in height. It has thin, drooping branchlets ; the triangular leaves that distinguish it from the true White Birch are lustrous and long-petioled, and they shimmer and waver in light breezes like those of the Aspen. The white bark does not peel as it happens with the White Birch and the trunk is marked with triangular dark patches, usually beneath the branching points. Its life is often short and it is often easily damaged by ice storms.
