The Bela Birch
Michael Fralich, October 18, 2023
The Bela Birch
On one of my frequent walks at the Lower Village Cemetery I had the good fortune to come across Phil and Tom Blake. They were setting up surveying equipment. Their goal was to clearly define the boundaries of the cemetery land in light of future expansion. As we stood talking, Phil pointed out a tree I had not paid any attention to in my previous walks. It was next to the stonewall on the Stevens Brook side of the new section of the cemetery. The tree has two trunks and a large spreading crown. Phil told me it was an old yellow birch. In my years of looking at trees I was accustomed to seeing yellow birch trees often in the woods where I hike. The yellow birch trees that I knew had the yellow flaky thin bark that has always captivated me with its delicate beauty.
Twin trunks and canopy
This old tree looks nothing like the yellow birches I have seen. It’s bark is deeply fissures with not a trace of the thin, peeling bark of a juvenile yellow birch. Upon closer examination I clearly saw the 5 to 10 mm horizontal lines scattered around the bark of the tree. These lines are called lenticels and are essentially little mouths that allow the tree to breath through its bark. These are a classic feature of yellow birches. I parted ways with Phil and Tom, excited to fetch my tree measuring tools with the aim of learning more about this old tree.
Mature yellow birch bark
The scientific name for yellow birch is Betula alleghanienis. The closest headstone to this tree honors Bela Jordan Sr. He lived from October 29, 1932 to February 11, 2000. I have named this tree “The Bela Birch” in remembrance of him. The larger of the two trunks has a diameter of 24.3 inches. Its circumference is 80 inches. This trunk is approximately 120 years old. It began growing in 1903. The smaller of the two joined trunks is 21 inches in diameter. It’s circumference is 66 inches. It began growing out of the main trunk in 1915. It is approximately 105 years old. The tree has an overall height of 72 feet and a crown spread of 72 feet.
Bela Jordan Headstone
Scratch the bark of a yellow birch twig and you will smell oil of wintergreen which is unique to this species of tree. The wood is commonly used in furniture, often stained to resemble either cherry or mahogany. Yellow birch is a food source for the following animals: ruffed grouse, prairie chickens, deer, moose, rabbits, and red squirrels. Yellow birches often grows in community with hemlocks. It can attain heights of 100 feet with a potential diameter of 4 feet. It is one of largest hardwoods in North America. The punky rotten woods of decayed yellow birches was used by indigenous peoples as tinder to start fires. It ranges north to Newfoundland, south to Georgia, west to Indiana and east to Delaware.
Theodore Roosevelt was president when this yellow birch began its life in 1903. Roosevelt assumed the presidency in 1901 when William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Also in 1903, King Edward VII of England was coronated as Emperor of India. He celebrated this event by releasing 16,000 Indian prisoners. The first African American musical to be staged on Broadway, “Dahomey”, opened this year. The New York Yankees franchise was approved. They had formerly been know as the New York Highlanders. The Pepsi-Cola company was created. The first transcontinental auto trip took place in 1903. The trip took sixty-four days. The Tour de France debuted in 1903. The Pacific Cable was laid down, linking San Francisco, Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines. The Boston Pilgrims clinched the AL title beating Cleveland 14-3. The first World Series was held. The Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 at the Huntington Avenue ballpark. Enricao Curuso had his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Verdi’s “Rigoletto”. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in physics for her work in radiation.
I enjoy creating these articles. I am able to combine my love of trees with my love of writing and history. I learn something new each time I sit down to compose my piece. This keeps my seventy-two year old brain engaged and happy. I hope you enjoy them too.