The mother of the forest
The European beech – it overshadows everything
In our latitudes, beech trees have the best growing conditions. Here, it is the superior tree species. Due to its vigor, it can quickly form a closed canopy and rob light-hungry competitors, such as oak, their light. The beech itself needs only a little light. On the forest floor, only ephemeral spring bloomers, who know how to use the time before the trees leaf out, have a chance to survive – or sweet woodruff who loves the shade.
Reddish wood
Beech wood is popular and often used, especially for the construction of furniture. Unprotected, it is not weatherproof. The heartwood usually becomes a reddish color in older beeches.
In Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), without human influence more than 80 percent of the area would be overgrown with beech forests. It only avoids very dry or very wet areas.
The beech fruits, called beech nuts, are sought-after feed in autumn for wild animals like deer, vole, and wild boar.
Use of beech wood
The hard wood is used to make furniture, parquet, and numerous everyday objects. The reddish beech heartwood has been in particular demand in furniture making for several years. Beech crown wood is very popular as firewood.
Hello, I am the beech tree. Without human intervention, the forest here would be almost pure beech forest. I feel so content here that I can grow quickly and form a closed forest canopy with my tree tops. Then it is quite dark in the forest and other tree species have difficulties. I don’t mind shade very much. I actually have to protect my trunk from the sun. Because my gray bark is so thin, I get sunburned quickly.
The beech has a smooth, very thin silver-gray bark. Even on old trees, it forms few furrows and folds. Insects hardly find any hiding places here, which is why only a few birds look for food here.
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