It is an extremely variable species and can be found in Northeast China, Korea, Japan, and Russian Far East (Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Kamchatka).

[2] It is noted for its peeling bark, which can sometimes be removed in sheets, but usually shreds and hangs from the trunk and under branches.

Yellow-brown male catkins appear with the leaves in spring.

[3] Erman's birch is widely cultivated outside its natural range.

The cultivar 'Grayswood Hill' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.