Its colors
bright yellow
When it turns here
first color about Sep 15, 2026, at its best Sep 28, 2026, fading by Oct 1, 2026, bare by Oct 10, 2026 (estimate).
this year, by the model, the forest here peaks about Oct 7, 2026.
Model of Oct 27, 2026.
How long it holds
the sources give no figure for how long it holds its color.
Where it grows thickest
Common throughout Ontario and across the north of the region; in New England more on dry sites than wet, and in nearly pure stands where it has seeded in after fire or logging.
burned and cut ground, dry sites
its range outline comes to this page
By height
Found in all the habitats described for the White Mountains; its heart-leaved variety keeps to the upper slopes near treeline in the south of its range.
From the road
Chalky white trunks, often several from one base, under clear yellow crowns, frequently in pure patches on old burns and cuts.
Its pictures this autumn
Where to see it
pictures of it this autumn from …
- Burlington, the Islands & Lake Champlain, VT · 1 picture, newest Oct 4, 2026
- Québec, Portneuf & the Côte-de-Beaupré, QC · 1 picture, newest Oct 3, 2026
The sources’ own words
Paper birch leaves turn a bright yellow in the fall.
paper and gray birch (yellow)
Because it does not grow in any shade it is found in recently disturbed sites and along forest edges and roadsides. Its leaves turn yellow in mid-October.
They are commonly found in the mixed hardwood-conifer forests but may form nearly pure stands where they pioneer areas disturbed by fires or logging.
In New England, paper birch tends to be more abundant on the dry sites than on the wet or poorly drained soils (46,63).
The variety cordifolia in the east generally grows in the cooler habitats-upper elevations on mountains near tree line in the southern part of the range and on cooler north aspects and in depressions toward the northern part of its range.
White birch is a common tree found throughout Ontario. The smooth white paper-like bark is immediately recognizable, and the tree is sometimes referred to as "paper" birch.
Reddish brown with light lenticels on very young stems; later turning chalky to creamy white, peeling in horizontal papery strips; brown to black and may be furrowed at base; orange inner bark.