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American Beech 

  Physical information

American beech grows 100 feet tall and spreads 50 to 70 feet. The beech tree is most easily identified by its bark. The bark is light colored, and very smooth. This tree never develops furrows. The leaves are fairly small, toothed, with veins terminating in teeth. There are no lobes on the leaves, which turn yellow in the fall. The nuts, which fall before the leaves turn, are small, triangular shaped, and edible. The flowers are wind pollinated.                                                        

  Horticultural information     

The beech is one of the eastern forest's most distinctive trees. Slow growing, this tree has a light gray bark that is smooth and featureless on trees of all sizes. The beech casts some of the darkest shade in the forest, and very few other trees grow under it, so beech groves are usually open and free of underbrush or ground cover, except for a distinctive saprophyte that preys on this tree's roots.

This tree requires ample moisture, and rich, dark soil. Often it will invade oak forests, and it is often found with white oak, maples, tulip tree and white ash in the middle part of its range, while in the southern mountains it will mix with magnolias, basswood, and hemlock. In the northern forests, it grows along with hemlock, pines, maples, and birch, and in some of the mountains of Vermont, it grows in huge monocultural stands as a stunted ridge top tree.

  Distribution 

The American beech is a deciduous tree of the genus Fagus, which has about 900 species in the temperate zone and some subtropical mountain regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The growth range of the species in North America is reported to include New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec in Canada. In the United States, it occurs in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. The tree is usually found in pure stands and prefers to grow in moist, rich soils of uplands and well-drained lowlands. It is reported to thrive best in the bottomlands of the Ohio-Mississippi River valleys and along the western slopes of the southern Appalachians.

United States distribution	Michigan distribution

Sapwood Color:  T:  The wood has straight, mostly closed grain, but the grain is sometimes interlocked. Darker flakes or flecks of highly visible rays are reported to give quarter sawn surfaces an attractive appearance.
Texture: The texture is described as fine and even, and is coarser than European  beech. Growth rings are typically thin and tiny.
Luster: 

Economic uses 

Common Uses: Boxes and crates, Charcoal, Cooperages, Decorative veneer, Domestic flooring, Food containers, Fuelwood, Furniture, Joinery, Musical instruments, Pallets, Pulpwood, Railroad ties, Vehicle parts, Baskets, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Desks and Sounding boards.

Numerical Values
Bending Strength 9200 15500 psi
Crushing Strength (Perp.) 590 1105 psi
Max. Crushing Strength 3685 7585 psi
Static Bending (FSPL) 4200 8600 psi
Impact Strength 48 42 inches
Stiffness 1413 1855 1000 psi
Work to Maximum Load 13 17 in-lbs/in3
Hardness 1300 lbs
Shearing Strength 2010 psi
Specific Gravity 0.55 0.66
Weight 58 46 lbs/cu.ft.
Radial Shrinkage (G->OD) 5 %
Tangential Shrink. (G->OD) 11 %
Volumetric Shrink. (G->OD) 17 %

Natural Durability 

  Medicinal uses 

The medicinal uses below were all used by Native Americans.  The leaves were used to help heal burns and scouling, to restore frostbitten extremities, and to heal sores.  The north side of the bark was used as a wash for poison ivy. The bark was also used for pulmonary troubles. Sometimes the bark was used for abortions when the mother was suffering.  Nut meat mixed with bear grease was used to prevent mosquitoes. They chewed the nuts to prevent worms.  They also used beech trees in mixtures to prevent gall, and as a blood purifier.

Diseases of Beech

Beech bark disease:Occurs when the feeding site of woolly beech scale is invaded by the fungus Nectria coccinea var faginata. The fungus kills the bark and in the process, the insects. There are no satisfactory controls for the fungus. Control the disease by controlling the scale with a dormant spray of lime sulfur.
Michigan State University Extension - Beech Bark Disease Alert

Cankers: Cankers infect, girdle, and kill branches. There is no chemical control. Prune out the infected branches.

Scorching: During periods of high temperatures and low rainfall beech may scorch. Make sure trees are adequately watered.

Aphids: Aphids can be controlled with sprays of malathion.

Borers:  Such as flat-headed apple tree borer or two-lined chestnut borer bore into beech trees weakened by some stress. Prevent the insect infestations by keeping trees healthy with regular fertilization.

Scales: Regular inspections of the trunk and branches are suggested for early detection of scales. Control scales with Diazinon, Sevin, or malathion when the crawlers are active. Identify the specific scale involved to time the sprays properly.

Caterpillars: Certain caterpillars can be controlled with sprays of Bacillus thuringiensis.

References 

Other Sites of Interest

http://www.castle.net/~cwmagee/trees/tree.html
http://www.Plants.usda.gov
http://www.bbg.org/nymf/encyclopedia/fag/fag0010.htm
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod03/01700395.html
http://www.iforest.com/houston.htm
http://www.growit.com/plants/growers/SN/2925.htm
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ftp-treering.html  
http://bluehen.ags.udel.edu/udbg/trees/descriptions/f_sylvatica.html

This page written by Milissa Carden for Bio 141, General Botany, Fall 98