Birch Trees in the Moor, Hautes Fagnes – Eifel Nature Park

The downy birch has a very interesting phenomenon, namely frost protection, which ensures the survival of the downy birch in the most adverse conditions in extreme cold:
If the temperature falls below freezing point, the downy birch first closes the cork cells in the bark. When the thermometer reaches minus 40 °C, the birch immediately “heats up” by converting starch into oil in the branches - this chemical reaction releases heat.
Since its birch bark is waterproof, people in ancient times used the bark to seal boats and roofs, and because the bark contains oil, it was of course also suitable for starting a fire.

The downy birch is the typical Venn tree and was also named tree of the year in 2023. It differs from other birch species in its crown shape: the young shoots of the downy birch grow upright, while those of other species hang freely swinging downwards.

The stunted old birch trees give the moor a very special flair.