Silver bark. Golden fall. The tree that carries memory. Fagus grandifolia, the American Beech, is the most graceful and architecturally beautiful native hardwood in eastern North America, with smooth silver-gray bark as distinctive as birch and far more durable, a dense canopy of dark green leaves that turn brilliant gold and copper in fall, and an ability to live and grow for centuries on the same site. It is the tree whose smooth bark has invited human inscription for generations, initials and dates carved into beech trunks sometimes surviving for over a hundred years in perfect legibility, a characteristic no other native tree shares. The American Beech is also under increasing pressure from beech leaf disease, a new and rapidly spreading disease that threatens populations across its range in the same way that Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight devastated their respective species. Growing American Beech from seed is an investment in the future of one of the most irreplaceable native trees in the eastern forest. Smooth silver-gray bark the most distinctive of any native hardwood, beautiful in every season Brilliant gold and copper fall color holding on the tree longer than most other hardwoods Beechnuts produced in spiny husks eaten by deer, bear, turkey, squirrel, and numerous songbirds Extremely long-lived, with documented specimens over 300 years old in undisturbed forest Currently threatened by beech leaf disease, making cultivation and preservation increasingly important Things you probably did not know about the American Beech Daniel Boone carved his name in a beech tree in 1760 and it was still legible in 1916. The smooth bark of American Beech holds carved inscriptions with remarkable durability because the bark does not cork over the wound the way other trees do. Carvings made in beech bark remain clear and legible for 50 to 100 years or more. The famous Daniel Boon cilled a bar inscription, with the misspelling of his own name that has puzzled historians for generations, was carved in a beech in Tennessee and remained readable for over 150 years. It is one of the most shade-tolerant canopy trees in eastern North America. American Beech seedlings can survive in the deep shade of the forest floor for decades, growing slowly and waiting for a gap in the canopy. This extreme shade tolerance allows Beech to establish beneath other trees and eventually replace them as the canopy ages. In many northeastern forests, Beech-Maple associations represent the climax forest community, the most stable and self-replacing woodland type available in that region. The beechnuts are a high-fat critical food source for fall migration. Beechnuts ripen in fall and are one of the highest-fat native mast foods available in the eastern forest. Black bears consume extraordinary quantities in preparation for hibernation. Wood ducks, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and blue jays cache them and rely on them through winter. In mast years, the quantity of beechnuts produced by a mature forest can alter the population dynamics of multiple wildlife species simultaneously. Beech leaf disease arrived in Ohio in 2012 and has spread rapidly. Caused by a nematode in the leaf tissue, beech leaf disease was first identified in 2012 and has since spread from the Great Lakes through New England and into Appalachia. Infected trees develop striped, leathery, distorted leaves and eventually die. The mechanism of spread and the full range of the disease are still being studied. Growing beech from seed preserves the genetic diversity of the species during a critical period. Growing Details Botanical Name: Fagus grandifolia Stratification: Required, 90 days cold moist stratification, recalcitrant seed, keep moist USDA Zones: 3 to 9 Soil: Well-drained, moist, slightly acidic, rich in organic matter Light: Full sun to full shade Height: 50 to 80 feet Spread: 40 to 80 feet Growth Rate: Slow, 6 to 12 inches per year when young, accelerating with age Plant it in a spot you intend to keep for a long time. This is not a tree for temporary landscapes. It is a tree for places with a future.
