Beech Question

[Hasufel]

So do beech trees live forever? OK, that's kind of a tongue-in-cheek question, but I ask because it recently dawned on me that I've never seen a dead beech in the 20 years I've lived here. I've had plenty of other species keel over--red & white oak, hickory, maple, tulip poplar--which I then turned into firewood, but never any beeches, even though I have quite a few of them growing among the others. Are they just that hardy? And am I missing anything when it comes to splitting and burning beech wood? I think oak is the best but have no idea how beech compares...

 

[BrotherBart]

Been here 32 years and have never seen one die. And I have a bunch of'em. Had a tornado dip down in 2001 and rip the top ten to fifteen feet off of some and they just sprouted from the top and kept on going. 32 other trees from Oak to Maple to Pines just laid down. I have two huge ones twenty feet apart down on the place. One not as big as the other one. I call the big one Beech and the other one Son of A Beech.

I burned the stuff that got twisted off of them after it dried two years. Fantastic firewood. Tempted me to whack a couple of live ones but never have.

 

[peakbagger]

Plenty of dead beeches in New England due the Beech Blight. They have nice smooth bark when young and the these start getting scars in the bark and eventually the rot way from the outside in.

 

[Soundchasm]

A neighbor has a venerable specimen. It's tried to kill him a few times by dropping limbs while he mows, so now the grass below grows unrestricted.

I got some beech on a scrounge and the bits I had were a bear to split. It took me over a year to figure out how (or to decide) to split some of them with my 5-ton electric. The grain was amazing. The lines looked like waves on the ocean. No wonder it wouldn't split.

I made sure to enjoy every piece that went in the stove. It was good stuff.

 

[bfitz3]

The woods here are full of beech, but only for a few more years. Beech bark disease is having a field day up here and all the big ones will be gone.

On the bright side... I've CSS 4-5 cords of beech this summer, all of which was dead or soon to be dead. I've left at least 8 monsters to die and fall on their own as I just can't get to them. Also, four more are on their way out but I will be able to get them either this fall or next spring.

As for how it burns... Hot, long, great coaling.

 

[BringinHeat]

Yea we have a bunch of beech around us too. I see plenty of dead ones. I was surprised how fast they can rot also.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

None dead here either. I have four large ones surrounding the house for that reason. Family planted them decades ago because they produce great summer shade and strong protection for the house against other trees that fall more easily during storms. It is one of my favorite woods to burn, for the same reasons others have mentioned.

 

[firefighterjake]

Currently cutting a stand of beech for a friend . . . well sharing the wood actually. I'm doing the work and it's his land. All of the beech is diseased, but the main reason he wants the wood cut is that supposedly it competes with the sugar maple and this is in a sugar maple operation. I have seen some dead trees in this patch of woods.

 

[beatlefan]

I have a large beech near the house, but it's dying from the top down. Not sure why. I'll be taking it down in the fall.

I'm told you should split it soon after cutting, because it can begin to rot quickly.

Burns great...right up there with oak in my opinion.

 

[maple1]

I cut one up this spring that had broken off part way up. Think it was dead when that happened. Or at least wasn't in very good shape a the place it broke.

Beech is awesome firewood, not much better I don't think - stuff is heavy. Can be a bear to split.

 

[CheapBassTurd]

They die in the US Midwest/ Great lakes area.

They seem to rot standing. Mush by the time they drop if not helped along
by a storm or saw. When a larger branch falls off, I've seen the branch in a
dozen pieces. This is only based on a few sightings and 4 on the property.
Not enough total experience with live, seasoned, standing and horizontal deads.

 

[CheapBassTurd]

Correction: I/ we have Birch. I was thinking of the white peely bark trees.
That stuff even ultra dry, smokes and off gasses like crazy.

Heather/ mama said back in the scouting days that stuff was to be used as a signal
fire for the lost hikers as the bark makes a smoke bomb.

Clicked on the pic and I've dealt with the birch. Truly a bear to hand split. We'll see how it
cooks up soon enuff. Birch is very strong I've found by using more calories than the burn
is worth just to break it up. lol Hope the stuff coals well before falling apart as stated above.

 

[Hasufel]

Sounds like beeches do better the farther south they are. Shame about the beech bark disease up north. Between that, EAB, Dutch Elm, gypsy moths, and all the other nastiness, I'm worried that we'll run out of trees one day.

I do like beeches, except for one thing: they keep their lower branches and those always seem to stick out right at eye level. I've lost track of the times I've gotten whipped in the face while walking through my otherwise open woods. Good thing I wear glasses, otherwise they could have done some real damage!

 

[Pellet_Pete]

We've had beech bark disease in Mass. for 60-80 years. There are still lots of big ones around, but they sure are ugly. The problem is the little ones - as the trees die they send up a million suckers and form beech thickets that are a "bear" to walk through. I've noticed more and more beautiful clear-boled trees exhibiting blight resistance, especially on better soils, so there' some hope yet.

Incidentally, I was in northern VA this past spring and distinctly noticed that the beech were all nice and clean. Jealous...

 

[peakbagger]

Beech blight is variable up here some are in great shape by many have the blight real bad. I live near the farthest most oaks where the woods transition to maple and white birch. The local bears really like beech nuts. I see beeches on occasion with very clear and distinct sets of claw marks climbing up the trunk. Unfortunately the scars in the trunk are how the blight can get in tree. I had a tree along a hiking trail that I observed that was smooth except for bear tracks, over the years I kept an eye on it and slowly the blight moved in.

 

[billb3]

Had a bunch of beech that pretty much had a hill to themselves and half just died. It was already rotten,soft, worthless.
Hemlocks are dying from the top down, the gypsy moths ate 'em up pretty bad last year. Eastern white pines are dying from the tops down that have southern pine bark beetles in 'em. I've got two huge white oaks near the house that grew back about half the leaves after the gypsy moths were done and last week they both just had their leaves turn brown. Between the bugs and the winds the trees here have had it rough. Will have a bunch of firewood if I get my arse in gear.

 

[woodsHAM]

Beech bark disease lays claim to a many in my part of wv ! Most of the high elevation here is dominated by nothing but beech maple and cherry and shame as its the only hard mast for game in those parts really makes it hard for game to winter in those areas. But makes for fine wood.