# Fjäll birch (Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii)

**Swedish: Fjällbjörk | English: Mountain Birch | Family: Birch family (Betulaceae)**

The Fjäll birch (*Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii*), **Fjällbjörk** in Swedish, forms the transition from the taiga to the treeless tundra of Scandinavia.

Their gnarled, multi-stemmed and often bizarre growth forms are the result of decades of snow pressure, icy storms and extreme sub-zero temperatures in the Scandinavian mountains.

## FAQs

- **What is special about the Fjäll birch?**: It is the only deciduous tree species in Europe that forms its own subarctic forest border zone above the spruce forests.
- **Why are the trunks often crooked and twisted?**: The young shoot axes bend due to heavy snow loads in winter and constant strong high-altitude winds.
- **How high does a mountain birch goat?**: Usually only 2 to 6 meters.
- **What significance does it have for Sámi culture?**: The rich-grain wood is traditionally used to make cups (kåsa), knife handles and handicrafts.
- **What happens to the fell birch trees in autumn?**: In September they produce the famous Nordic autumn magic (*Ruska*) with bright yellow and orange leaves.
- **Which pest periodically threatens birch forests?**: In some decades, the caterpillars of the autumn moth can clear entire hillside forests.


## Weitere Informationen

- Botanical illustration: Fjäll birch (Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii), in Swedish 'Fjällbjörk'.
- The tough mountain birch of the subarctic tree line with characteristically twisted growth forms.