River Birch(Betula nigra) is a fast growing tree I like growing. It seems resistant to drought and has faster growth than most trees in its youth. The best part is the peeling flakes of bark on the trunk. I like to think it is one of the many trees I can grow to replace elms on my oasis, so that there is more diversity.
Well as luck would have it, a powerful wind knocked out the top of of my River Birch.
Also a Baldcypress(Taxodium distichum) was in the same area and the wind ended up breaking the top of that young tree, too. When growing trees, the weather ultimately controls too much.