While standard wild river birches develop dark, heavily textured grey-brown bark as they mature, Heritage was selected specifically for its superior aesthetics and vigor with lighter, cleaner bark, larger, glossier leaves and extreme vigor. The exfoliating (peeling) bark reveals large plates of creamy white, salmon-pink, and soft tan underneath. It provides incredible winter interest when the rest of the landscape is bare. Its diamond-shaped leaves are noticeably larger and a deeper, glossier green than the native species. This makes the canopy look lush and healthy all summer long before turning a crisp golden-yellow in the fall. It grows rapidly—frequently putting on 2 to 3 feet of growth per year in ideal conditions—and has stronger wood less prone to wind or ice breakage than other birch varieties.