Is Beech A Hardwood Tree

When the overstory is harvested the beech is released and has a head start over other species.

Is beech a hardwood tree.

The softwoods are the conifers which produce naked seeds. As a naturally growing forest tree beech marks the important border between the european deciduous forest zone and the northern pine forest zone. In lower elevations beech often grows in pure stands with trees to 120 in height and 4 in diameter. Beech is a flowering plant that produces covered seed so it s an angiosperm.

Beech is in the hardwood category. Combine this with loggers around where we live tending to leave beech and it s easy to develop a stand of almost pure beech. It seems to beg knife point initialing as was done by daniel boone on a tennessee tree. A beech commonly refers to trees of the genus fagus that are named for a god of the beech trees recorded in celtic mythology especially in gaul and the pyrenees.

Unlike the conifers or softwood firs spruce and pines hardwood trees have evolved into a broad array of common species. Fagus is a member of the larger family named fagaceae which also includes the castanea chestnuts the chrysolepis chinkapins and the numerous and grand quercus oaks. This border is important for wildlife and fauna. A mature beech tree develops a huge canopy which carpets the forest in a dense shade making it difficult for other seedlings to grow.

This is a blessing in disguise for today s wood industry as beech takes 40 years before it even starts to produce nuts and is one of the slowest growing hardwood trees. Beech american 1300 mahogany african khaya 845 beech european 1300 heart pine 870 910 birch yellow 1260 cherry domestic black 950 bloodwood 3300 imbuia 950 bocote 2200 maple soft 999 brazilian tiger mahogany 3840 teak plantation 1000 brushbox northern 2045 cherry africa makore 1010 bubinga 1980 ash victorian 1010. Beech trees can survive in the understory for years. Boone cilled a bar on tree in year 1760.

The contact detail associated with beech wood advantages and disadvantages is also mentioned to make it easy for a user to contact the furniture seller. Until power tools beech was too thick of a wood to be readily cut and so many ancient tree specimens still grow in now protected forests. Fagus sylvatica is one of the most common hardwood trees in north central europe in france alone constituting about 15 of all nonconifers. Beech has an unmistakable bark of shiny silver grey that fits its trunk like smooth skin.

The most common species in north america are oaks maple hickory birch beech and cherry. Beech trees grow in a variety of different soil types and can grow up to 100 feet tall. It s not about how hard the wood is it s the type of tree. A beech tree can easily be identified by its unique smooth silver bark.