yellow birch
noun
: a large birch (Betula alleghaniensis synonym B. lutea) of chiefly eastern North America with thin lustrous gray or yellow bark forming plates with ragged edges in older trees
also
: its strong hard dark brown to reddish-brown wood
Examples of yellow birch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Departing from Cass, the route follows the Greenbrier River and passes through part of the Monongahela National Forest, where maples, red spruce, and yellow birch create bright autumnal hues.
—
Molly O'Brien, Travel + Leisure, 3 Oct. 2025
In the Great Smoky Mountains, with higher elevation that leads to a climate more similar to New England, color changes can begin as early as mid-September in yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry trees.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Species include red oak, bur oak, white cedar, yellow birch, tamarack, black spruce and white pine.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
The council’s first purchase was Cowles Bog—a rare glacial wetland filled with beavers, red maples and yellow birches; a muck of swamp water and marsh plants; blackberries; and, eventually, reintroduced purple orchids—acquired in 1953 for $1,730 (around $20,000 today).
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2024
Outside, a steely sky and yellow birch trees marked a new season.
—Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022
The terrain was becoming rockier now, with paper birch and spruce trees replacing the canopy of sugar maples and yellow birch.
—Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Molly O'Brien, Travel + Leisure, 3 Oct. 2025
In the Great Smoky Mountains, with higher elevation that leads to a climate more similar to New England, color changes can begin as early as mid-September in yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry trees.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Species include red oak, bur oak, white cedar, yellow birch, tamarack, black spruce and white pine.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
The council’s first purchase was Cowles Bog—a rare glacial wetland filled with beavers, red maples and yellow birches; a muck of swamp water and marsh plants; blackberries; and, eventually, reintroduced purple orchids—acquired in 1953 for $1,730 (around $20,000 today).
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2024
Outside, a steely sky and yellow birch trees marked a new season.
—Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022
The terrain was becoming rockier now, with paper birch and spruce trees replacing the canopy of sugar maples and yellow birch.
—Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Yellow birch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yellow%20birch. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share