Old Growth Birch Forest

An old growth birch forest is a birch woodland where about half the trees grow extra tall. The tall white trunks make it feel like a cathedral of birches. Trail ruins can also hide under its soil. This old growth birch forest finder searches your seed. Enter it above, and the map moves to the nearest one and marks it with a biome icon.

Where old growth birch forests generate

The biome forms in temperate regions with moderately high humidity. It mostly appears where weirdness is positive. As a result, a river often separates it from a regular birch forest.

It also borders forests, dark forests, taigas and sparse jungles. Since Java 1.18, this biome has become much more common than it used to be. Even so, it is less widespread than a normal birch forest.

From above, the biome looks like a regular birch forest with taller spikes sticking out. That helps you spot it from a high point.

What you find in an old growth birch forest

About half of the birches are tall, with trunks up to 14 blocks. You cannot grow these from saplings, so the biome is the only place to see them. Fallen birch logs can also be up to 14 blocks long.

• Plants: wildflowers, rose bushes, lilacs, peonies, lilies of the valley and small bushes.
• Animals: sheep, pigs, chickens and cows.
• Structures: trail ruins and abandoned camps.

Bee nests are rare, on about 0.2% of trees.

How to locate this tall birch biome

Use the map to skip the searching. Enter your seed and edition, and the view flies to the nearest old growth birch forest with an outline. The list on the left holds more results. Click one to centre it, then copy its coordinates.

In game, F3 shows minecraft:old_growth_birch_forest. Tall, thin white trunks above a normal canopy are the visual clue. To travel, use /tp @s X 110 Z with the copied coordinates.

Trail ruins and building tips

Trail ruins are the main reason to explore here. They are buried structures made of terracotta, bricks and other blocks. Brush the suspicious gravel to find pottery sherds, armour trims and other items. So bring a brush and dig carefully.

The biome is also great for builders. Birch wood is easy to collect, and the tall trees create a dramatic backdrop. However, the tall trunks take longer to chop, so leave a few standing for the view.

Wildflowers cover the ground, which suits garden builds. Also, the open space under the canopy makes mobs easy to spot.

What you can dig up in trail ruins

Trail ruins are partly buried, so you often only see a few blocks poking out. Dig around them, and look for suspicious gravel. Brush it with a brush to reveal the hidden item.

Common finds include pottery sherds, which decorate pots. Rarer finds include four armour trims: wayfinder, raiser, shaper and host. The music disc Relic can also come from trail ruins.

Brushing takes patience. If you break suspicious gravel with a tool, the item is lost. Therefore, always brush it slowly.

Also, the ruins contain stained glass, terracotta and mud bricks. You can collect these for builds. Because trail ruins also generate in taigas and jungles, this biome is one of several places to find them.

Old growth birch forest version history

Java 1.7.2 added it as Birch Forest M. It was renamed tall birch forest in 1.13. Java 1.18 made it much more common, and snapshot 21w40a gave it the current name. Java 1.20 added trail ruins. Java 1.21.5 added wildflowers and bushes, and Java 26.3 added abandoned camps.

Old Growth Birch Forest FAQ