The variety of Betula with reliably white bark is B. pendula and its hybrids - B. 'jacquemonti' is the whitest of all, although Betula papyrifera (Paper Birch) should also have white bark. Not sure why yours hasn't.

There is a lot of green moss/lichen on the bark and it looks wet. Is the tree in a poorly ventilated spot without much direct sunlight.

thanks bamboo, is it possible that it is too young? im disappointed that we didnt get the jacquemonti.

yes bulbaholic it doesnt get much direct sun, ventilation should be ok tho. it is shaded by some other trees behind it [east] but fully open to the west.

Hold on, done a bit more research - it might just be its relative youth, though I'm not certain this isn't Betula pubescens rather than papyrifera, from the leaf. B. papyrifera produces catkins in spring,with the young leaves, but it seems Betula pubescens does have white bark, but not when its young, think the same applies to papyrifera.

you are very helpful bamboo, thank you ~ its definitely papyrifera cos the label is still on ~ came from a gardener who im sure knows his plants but it didnt have many leaves and no catkins either ~ lets hope it will be like wine and get better with age???

Yes - I keep waiting for the same thing to happen to me as I age...

you never know! im sure with GoY friends we will all make it and be better in the next age?

Yea, right, and I'm about to win the lottery, lol!

oh well, i can dream...

Hi Stickitoffee, all Betula have "immature" bark that bears no resemblance at all to their "adult" bark. Your tree is simply too young for it's adult bark colour and texture to be evident.

Having said that you can see the lenticels (the small, horizontal, silvery stripes on the bark) are beginning to be revealed on your tree which suggests it's not far away from revealing it's true bark colour.

There are many species and forms of Birch with white/cream bark, but it's actually forms of Betula utilis that have the best and whitest bark, particularly B. utilis var. jacquemontii, as mentioned by Bamboo.

It's also worth noting that your species, B. papyrifera, does have brown bark in some forms, so if yours is a seedling rather than a grafted plant it could potentially end up having a non-white adult bark too.

Either way the trunk/bark will look much better if you give it a good scrub with a stiff brush and lots of water - we do this every winter with all of our "glossy" trunked Birches. :)

oh thank you Ilex thats a great help, i shall be out with the brush and water tomorrow!
i havent noticed any point for a possible graft so i imagine it must be a seedling?
it is now about 7 - 8 ft tall [?] and has a trunk with a radius of approx. an 1" ~ will it be many years before i see its real colour?
it was supposed to be the centre piece of that part of the garden but if it isnt white it wont be able to do that very well ~ i needed the white to show up against a back drop of trees ~ im wondering whether i should try to get a jacquemontii while i still have time and before the papyrifera gets too big to move???

I wouldn't Stickitoffee - just have a bit of patience and if you want to increase the white effect, do what the professionals sometimes do - give the trunk a good scrub and paint with a watered down solution of emulsion (not vinyl emulsion, though!) if its not white enough once you've cleaned it. Most effective if you use dark bark chippings beneath...

is that cheating bamboo?
i will certainly give it a scrub tomorrow and see what happens
thank you both, you have been a great help, the tree has been bugging me for a year!

I didn't mean now - you will have to wait for more white to show naturally, so wait till next year.

oh ok, no white at all yet so i will have to be a bit more patient ~ thats not so easy

Stickitoffee - 8 to 10 feet is about the stage that the true bark starts to appear, generally speaking, so it shouldn't be too long now....

The coloured bark is revealed by the immature outer bark peeling away, starting from the very base of the trunk and then moving upwards over a period of a few years, incidentally. Once the bark has split/peeled at the base you will be able to get a good idea what the whole tree will eventually turn into, colour-wise, even if you'll still have to be a little more patient to see the full effect!

i shall look further down, although i fear it is that red/brown one ~ which is very nice and i like it ~ just that i wanted white!
have to copy alice in wonderland [or was it looking glass] where they painted the roses to suit the queen!!??