Betula glandulosa

Tundra Dwarf Birch (Betula glandulosa) occurs in North America and northeastern Asia. It occurs in arctic and alpine tundra, on rocky slopes, in muskegs, peat bogs, and on open subalpine summits. There are estimated to be more than 1400 occurrences rangewide. Its range and abundance is expected to increase with the warming climate. Threats include increased insect herbivory and summer fire impacts associated with higher temperatures and drought, these are climate related threats.

Tundra Dwarf Birch (Betula glandulosa) occurs in North America, Greenland, and northeastern Asia. In the United States it occurs in New England, New York, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, as far south as the Sierra Nevada of California, and Rocky Mountains as far south as Colorado and northern New Mexico. It occurs across eastern and northern Canada, including around Hudson Bay, James Bay and in the Canadian Rockies. It occurs in Mongolia and Russian Siberia in northeastern Asia. It occurs in arctic and alpine tundra, on rocky slopes, in muskegs, peat bogs, and on open subalpine summits. Range extent was estimated to be about 25 million square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (Allred et al. 2020, FNA 1997, GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, POWO 2024, SEINet 2024).

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 1400 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).

While the range and abundance of Tundra Dwarf Birch (Betula glandulosa) is expected to increase with the warming climate, threats include increased insect herbivory, associated with higher temperatures (Barrio et al. 2017). While spring and fall low intensity wildland fires benefit this plant, the increase in summer fire impacts associated with higher temperatures and drought is another climate related threat (de Groot and Wein 2004).