Yellow birch is native to cool, moist woods, north-facing slopes and swamps across eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, and it is the largest birch of that region. Deer, moose and many birds use its seeds and twigs, although heavy deer numbers can limit young trees from regenerating. In Quebec it is common and holds a prominent place as the provincial tree.
The species was first described as Betula lutea in 1812 and renamed Betula alleghaniensis by Nathaniel Lord Britton in 1904, a name that refers to the Allegheny Mountains. It is the most important birch for lumber in eastern Canada, used for furniture and flooring, and its sap can be boiled to a syrup with a wintergreen flavour. The Greenbelt Indigenous Botanical Survey notes that about half of all yellow birches in North America grow in Quebec, which is why it is the provincial tree.