365 Urban Species. #313: American Beech

[urbpan]

Photo by urbpan. Location: The Riverway, Boston.

Urban species #313: American beech Fagus grandifola

American beech is much more rare in cities than its European cousin. It is much less tolerant of the stresses of urban life, but can survive for many decades if well-placed. The woodier parts of the Emerald Necklace in Boston contain several scattered American beeches, in between hundreds of European beeches and grand red oaks. Century-old trees, surrounded by dozens of saplings that have sprung from their roots, stand in the thicker margins of the park, far from the road traffic that would compress the soil and starve their roots. The young trees hold on to their dry golden leaves well into winter, providing the bare landscape with patches of foliage. The fruit of beech trees, the beech nut, is an important winter food for many animals, including squirrels, wild turkeys, and others.


Photo of same American beech tree, with suckers (sons of beeches!), taken back in February, by urbpan, for the entry on European beech.

Comments

[droserary.livejournal.com]

*snickers* Sons of beeches. I first heard that from an elderly professor I once had, who was not known for making funny botanical jokes. Imagine this stalwart figure, pointing to the ring of trees and breaking the silence of the forest by screaming, "SONS OF BEECHES." It got our attention.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I've used that one on two walks since you taught it to me, with mixed results. I think people expect the quirky naturalist to make silly puns and jokes, as painful as they may be.

[droserary.livejournal.com]

Interesting. And I agree, it's assumed we're teetering on the border of lame, so why not embrace it? Plus, I guarantee your urban nature walkers won't forget what kind of tree that is the next time they see a ring of suckers around a mature tree. :-)

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

Awesome tree :)
Only thing I might mention is their plight with Nectria :(

[treeclimber47.livejournal.com]

Here's a good explanation of how beech bark disease is caused by beech scale and subsequent nectria invasion:
Beech Bark Disease (http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/beechbark/fidl-beech.htm)

Here are the remains of a Fagus grandiflora that was probably killed by beech bark disease many years ago:

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturejournal/127415891/)

[treeclimber47.livejournal.com]

A beech of any species is my most favorite tree. Here's a tall American Beech with a 40" diameter trunk (at chest height), in excellent health just half a mile or so over the border south of Boston:

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturejournal/291226625/)

Here's another in the same woods, I think this one's Fagus sylvatica, the european species growing in the woods as if it was a native:

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturejournal/69857512/)

[(Anonymous)]

From the picture, the bottom one looks more like American Beech to me. My older son's middle name is Beecher, mostly because beeches are such neat trees. I used to collect beechnuts, in the rare years in NH when the trees would produce good nuts and use them in brownies. It's a lot of work for such a little nut.
I am told that there are now "beech hells" up in NH from when the older trees die from the new disease, the roots sprout suckers like crazy and create an almost impenetrable thicket over the course of a few years.

Dwight