Is American Beech Tree A Hardwood

Beech fagus grandifolia is a medium to large size tree that originated in north america beech wood has sapwood with a pale brown color and heartwood with adark brown to reddish brown tint.

Is american beech tree a hardwood.

Another characteristic of beech lumber is that beech has small pores which allow for a fine finish to be achieved. While beech species grow in every hemisphere the one you ll find in north america is american beech fagus grandifolia. Its attractive finish makes it a popular choice for flooring furniture and wood crafting. Beech grows on a wide range of soil types acidic or basic provided they are not waterlogged.

Unlike most other hardwood trees the american beech retains this smooth bark throughout its mature years. The trees we have are quite large but many are hollow. The range of american beech. In lower elevations beech often grows in pure stands with trees to 120 in height and 4 in diameter.

Most hardwood trees are deciduous trees which lose their leaves annually like elm or maple. Blue beech which shares the same range proves to be hornbeam. The texture and density of the wood a tree produces puts it in either the hardwood or softwood category. They are native to temperate europe asia and north america.

Beech fagus is a genus of deciduous trees in the family fagaceae native to temperate europe asia and north america recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera engleriana and fagus the engleriana subgenus is found only in east asia distinctive for their low branches often made up of several major trunks with yellowish bark. The american beech is easily recognized even in dense complex forests by its thin smooth light gray bark. The american beech can live for three hundred to four hundred years and can reach heights of eighty feet and diameters in excess. American beech is also commonly called beech.

The tree is a hardwood and the lineal taxonomy is magnoliopsida fagales fagaceae fagus grandifolia ehrhart. Softwood comes from a conifer cone bearing or evergreen trees such as pine or spruce. Beech trees can survive in the understory for years. There are 13 species of beech.

But prefers chalky soils and limestone. Combine this with loggers around where we live tending to leave beech and it s easy to develop a stand of almost pure beech. When the overstory is harvested the beech is released and has a head start over other species.