rhizo beat me to it but that is the exact advice I would give as well. Unless you are well schooled in tree health and stability - and few of us are - a certified arborist or tree specialist is the professional you need to consult. There is no way you can get a satisfactory response from an online forum that cannot see and evaluate the tree in person. IME, most homeowners tend to be overly cautious about both the location of trees in close proximity to a house as well as misunderstanding what issues, if any, a tree may be experiencing.

btw, birches do tend to be somewhat messy, often dropping a lot of small twigs and stems. And that is perfectly normal.

It's hard to argue with Rhizo's reasoning. With no pictures and minimal information offered, we're limited to pure speculation on what might be going on with your prized Betula. However, I happen to be in the mood for speculation! ;)

First, I am not an arborist or horticulturist, but merely someone who admires trees and has spent much of my life observing them. Betula is a "pioneer species," which means they will seed readily and colonize a disturbed area. They grow quite fast and often die young, making them the James Dean of trees. There are exceptions of course, with some Yellow Birch estimated at 300 years in optimal conditions.

Do you know what species you have? Betual nigra (River Birch), a popular landscape tree, is notorious for dropping twigs. B. papyrifera (Paper Birch) is highly susceptible to drought and persistent dry conditions. Has it been unusually dry where you live? If so, you may want to consider supplemental watering if feasible.

You don't give the age of your birch, but based on your comments I'm assuming it has been relatively healthy. Has the twig droppage just started this year? If so, I wouldn't be overly concerned with it falling on your house anytime soon. Keep an eye on it and by all means have someone with knowledge take a look at it.

I agree with maackia. River birch drops small branches all the time. But do have someone qualified take a look at it.

Your comments are appreciated, but I just realized that I hadn't posted a photo:

Does this tree look sickly?

Betula papyriferus, paper birch, generally grows where the soil is consistently moist and sometimes seasonally wet but will adapt to most soil types and higher ground.

It doesn't tolerate drought or dry conditions very well at all and will protest by dropping smaller branches and twigs and will drop some even under good conditions.

If it gets too dry, cankers on the trunk and sparse growth at the top will appear. That also leaves the tree subject to bronze birch bores that attack trees weakened by conditions it doesn't like.

Full sun is its preference, but some shade is okay.

Your tree seems to be growing normally for a tree that is basically a wetland plant.

If you have recently experienced a long dry spell(s) that might be the reason for increase of the falling twigs. If your soil is sandy and rain is infrequent this also can cause this.

Paper birch is not normally an extremely long-lived tree to begin with (60-70 yrs.) but under ideal conditions can live much, much longer.

I agree on what the others have suggested, if you have a concern about the current health of the tree, an onsite inspection by a certified ISA arborist is the best route for that.

Always helps to say what part of the country you're in.

There are places that birches tend to be natively growing, vs. places they tend to be planted, and some of those latter ones are especially short-lived.

Thank you, david! I'm in northern NY. Zone 51. Soil is sandy, tree was growing in its present, forested location when the house was built.

Most trees in a forested location originate from windblown/chipmunk carried seeds that decide to germinate when the next summer rain falls. It doesn't mean it's the most ideal spot for them to grow, it's just the way ma nature works.

I too was interested in your location, soil type and previous moisture conditions, even last season.

The more information one has, the better diagnosis one can make.

Betula papyrifera is not a legacy tree although I can understand your reason for not wanting to lose it. They are so beautiful.

Depending on how many years ago you built your house and estimated age the tree was at that time could give you a close idea to how old the tree is.

Your choice, your call.

Paper Birch: Queen of the North per Dirr.

Again, we don’t have enough info to declare with certainty the health of your tree. It looks a bit sparse to me, but we dont get a good look at the canopy. Are there other Paper Bark birches nearby? How do they look compared to yours?

I am by no means particularly knowledgable about these trees. However it's worth noting that my general area between Philly and Baltimore is more or less their southern limit. I have seen one in my neighborhood that has looked like it's dying for almost 15 years! And yet every spring it still leaves out. So, although not long lived, they perhaps also take a long time to die!

'they perhaps also take a long time to die!'

I think you're right david.

What you could do mtvhike, is to continue monitoring the tree. Make sure that the tree fully leaves out in the spring and of course be aware of any of the other symptoms I mentioned above.

Once the trunk dies, they tend to break off about halfway up after they're dead for a year or two but in a storm it's anyone's guess.

In the meantime, plant a few new trees in the yard, a little further out from the house so they get started and you can enjoy this type of tree for many years to come.

Paper Birch: Queen of the North per Dirr.

Pretty cool maackia, I never heard that before. :-)