The tree I love most is birch. But I think it's Finnish name sounds better, it is "koivu". I would really like to live near a birch forest, but they aren't so common here in Finland, most of the forests are pines and/or spruces. Birches are so lovely in all the seasons. In autumn their leaves are yellow and some of them still have a hint of green, left from the summer. And when the morning or evening sun hits them, they look so bright and...I don't even have enough words to describe them...In winter there are no leaves and birches look very beautiful, especially when sky is behind them from the beholders point of view. And sometimes they are all white with frost. In spring birches changes quite much. First when snow melts they are still naked, but in a week or two leaves begin to open. At first leaves are very small and it looks like birches have a light green veil around themselves. And as leaves grow bigger, veil thickens and finally birches are dressed in beautiful green gown. In the summer especially birch forests look very beautiful. White trunks with little black, up in the branches green leaves and down in the ground green plants. And the warm birch leaves in sauna smell so good. It's really wonderful to sit in sauna and keep a bunch of fresh birch twigs (called vihta or vasta) on ones face.