American beech

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) is a species of beech native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida. It is a deciduous tree growing to 20–35 m (66–115 ft) tall, with smooth, silver-gray bark. The leaves are dark green, simple and sparsely-toothed with small teeth, 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) long (rarely 15 cm, 5.9 in), with a short petiole. The winter twigs are distinctive among North American trees, being long and slender (15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) by 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in)) with two rows of overlapping scales on the buds.

Description

The American Beech is a large, graceful native tree, excellent for large, park-like landscapes where it has room to spread its wide, low-growing branches. The smooth, pale gray bark is truly stunning in the winter landscape. The dark green summer foliage turns a golden bronze in the fall. Beech trees are very sensitive to compaction and do not tolerate pollution well.

Distribution and habitat

The American Beech is native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida. It is found in a variety of habitats, including both wet and dry forests, slopes, and ravines.

Uses

The wood of the American Beech is heavy, hard, tough and strong, and, until the advent of the modern chainsaw, during lumbering beech trees were often left uncut to grow. Today, the wood is harvested for uses such as flooring, furniture, containers, railroad ties, and fuel.

Conservation

The American Beech is not currently considered threatened, but it is susceptible to Beech Bark Disease, which can cause significant mortality. This disease occurs when the beech scale insect, Cryptococcus fagisuga, attacks the bark, creating a wound that is then infected by one of two fungal species.

See also

• Beech
• Beech Bark Disease
• Trees of the United States

This tree-related article is a stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it.