Tree ID?

We were out for a walk yesterday and spied this. Half of the bark is smooth (like a beech) and the other is corky like an oak. About 30 feet up it makes up its mind and becomes what I think is an American Beech.

(I'm not taking this down -- it looks really healthy, AND it's not on my property -- but I was just curious if any of the tree savants knew what was going on here.) Thanks!

I can see why you'd think that, but it's not.

Here, look at the upper half of it. It slowly loses the ash-looking bark and becomes a straight-up beech tree.
(I'm not sure why this one is rotated -- photos here are a mystery to me!)

Yes, I agree. I just thought it was interesting and thought there might be others here who might think so, as well.

Thanks.

nrford said:

Beech for sure.

Click to expand...

Yes, for sure. Have you seen others with this mixed bark pattern? I am around a lot of beech trees and haven't noticed it before.

Did you ever wonder why the bark pattern in beech is so smooth compared to seemingly all of the other large trees in the North American forest?

I did, and this is what I found:

“Deciduous trees [that evolved] in the northern forests have developed adaptations in their bark to guard against frost cracking. One of these adaptations is rough bark texture in the form of scales, ridges, or plates … American beech is a member of the Fagaceae – a family of trees that evolved in the tropics [where] trees must contend with epiphytes – plants that grow on trees … An adaptation to thwart an epiphyte’s ability to find a ‘roothold’ is smooth bark. Although beech grows into Quebec, it retains its tropical adaptation of smooth bark, compensating it with light coloration to reflect winter sunlight.”