Silver Birch
A fast-growing native pioneer with a light, airy canopy and striking white bark. Tolerant and good in urban settings; supports a wide insect fauna. Shorter-lived than oak or plane.
Carbon and evidence
Carbon Sink & Ecosystem Services
A living landscape element — a carbon sink and provider of ecosystem services, not a manufactured product. Its value is measured by sequestration and biodiversity, not embodied carbon, and it must never be netted against a product’s A1–A3.
Carbon Sequestration
Sequestered — carbon removed from the atmosphere
indicative for a medium tree at maturity; varies with size, form and context
Source: i-Tree Eco
Indicative and highly variable by species, size, soil and context. Sequestration is slow and reversible — it is not equivalent to avoiding an emission and must not offset embodied product carbon.
Biodiversity Net Gain
native pioneer; good insect habitat and light canopy
Source: Defra Biodiversity Metric 4.0
England requires a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain; distinctiveness is one input to the habitat unit calculation.
Water / SuDS
canopy interception reduces runoff
Source: CIRIA SuDS Manual (C753)
Ecosystem Services
Establishment & Maintenance
nursery growing, transport, tree pit, staking and establishment watering carry a small upfront carbon cost
Read This Honestly
- •Sequestration is slow, uncertain and reversible — it un-banks if the plant dies.
- •Never offset embodied product carbon with it.
- •Shorter-lived (≈60–90 years).
Products in this category
No manufacturer products are listed in this category yet. You can specify silver birch generically and carry it through to a render and specification as normal.
Specification
- Finish
- Medium native tree
- Service life
- 60 years