Birch is associated with the Goddess, her white bark speckled like the moon. It is connected with the Rune Berkana and as such, it symbolizes birth and new beginnings.
Birch combines this birthing aspect with natural healing abilities. This is particularly symbolized in a clear-cut area of forest, as Birch is the first tree to reclaim such open spaces.
Birch also teaches us of the life/death/rebirth cycle. In the spring, it is speckled with green buds just as we are fresh and new at our birth. Towards summer, it matures, spreading a leafy canopy while becoming an intimate part of the forest, much as we become a part of the world around us as we mature. Eventually, winter comes and Birch loses her leaves. But the death that her winter sleep symoblizes fades away as spring comes once more and the cycle is begun anew.
Birch is especially appropriate for crafting tools associated with the Goddess. While Birch is an extremely hard wood and difficult to work with, its a rewarding process when the tool is completed.