Can You Plant a River Birch Near a Fence?

Size and Habit

• River birches grow quickly if the garden soil is fertile and moist, adding as much as 24 inches in branch length a year. In nature, this species grows from a singular trunk with the first branches occurring as low as 3 to 6 feet. Garden centers often sell multiple trees planted in the same point to create a more picturesque multitrunked specimen. A river birch matures at 40 to 70 feet tall and 40 to 60 feet wide with a shaggy, loose canopy that is rounded.

Spacing

• The main issue regarding planting a river birch near a fence is proper spacing away from the fence at planting time. You don't want the growing tree to push its branches into the fence, and you don't want any roots to undermine the fence posts' integrity. River birch tree roots are fibrous and radiate out in all directions. Plant a river birch no closer than 8 feet from a fence, unless a dwarf cultivar is grown. This allows branches to spread out and clear the fence's top.

Cultivars

• If the fence is short, a dwarf or small-maturing cultivar of river birch is more appropriate to grow nearby. Smaller growing trees also remain in scale with smaller residential properties. The cultivar Little King, also sold under the trademark name Fox Valley, matures up to 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Studetec, with the trademark name Tecumseh Compact, also reaches the same dimensions but with a more weeping silhouette. The narrow and weeping Summer Cascade grows up to 25 feet tall but only 10 feet wide. These trees may be planted as close as 4 feet from a fence without much concern.

Insight

• If a multitrunked river birch is planted, orient the tree so no angled trunks or low branches grow toward the fence. Alternatively, monitor the growth of the birch tree and prune away low-growing branches that threaten the integrity of the fence. Expect wind storms to snap small twigs off of the birch over the years; any severe thunderstorm or strong straight-line gust can topple any tree onto a fence.