Firstly, I asked my mother if she had burnt branches off, hence the color. She replied with"No, that's how it is". I can't seem to find one on the internet that looks like it. Why the black look? Also, this is scale, right! I can use my finger and scratch them off, a bit soft too. The leaves seem perfect. Ideas?

Many Birch trees do look like that when they get older, Your 2nd pix is kind of special (he, he.)

The dark streaks running down in the second picture make me wonder about slime flux, see this page.

https://extension.umd.edu/hgic...

Or did someone cut a branch and use pruning paint?

Can you get a sharper picture of what you believe is scale?

Here you go




and then I scratched them off with abrasive gloves.

Probably is, but closer still would help if the camera can do it sharp enough - otherwise look up oystershell scale and see if it looks the same.

Yea, it doesn't auto focus, sorry. I looked up oystershell, and it isn't that, smaller and much less dense.

Odd that I couldn't find any info relating birch with scale, or that oozing stuff.

So regarding both, what would you recommend?

Also, I will pay you to change your name to Scooby.

Haha, gets me every time....

The only scales on birch I found via Google were oystershell scale and scurfy scale. I have some books I can check out later. If you scrape some off onto white printer paper you may be able to get in closer with the camera.

Regarding the oozing stuff, did you check out the link in my earlier post for slime flux/wetwood?

How much are you offering to change my user name I've been called Scooby before so you're not the only one.

I'll do the paper test tonight and will use my HD Webcam on my desktop.

I did check that link out, it does resemble it. Just nothing currently coming out, wet at least. Also sad to know there is no KNOWN cure.

Looks like grey birch (populfolia?). My Latin stinks.

The chevrons look pretty normal.