While you’ll be able to clear most of the trees surrounding your first settlement from more or less the beginning of the game, Birch trees require a special tool you won’t have access to until later.

European birch is one of those woods that is very plain — except when it isn’t. Some of the distinctive patterns yielded include flame and curly figures. Another figure of note is Karelian birch, ...

Leaf disease can defoliate large sections of birch trees. Q: Am I the only one whose birch tree has suffered this winter? It bloomed beautifully, but now half of it is dead and has almost no leaves.