Rotting Beech

[beatlefan]

I have a big beech tree that's dead half-way up and big branches are beginning to fall. Time to cut it down. I don't have time to split it up right now and would like to just stack the rounds until I can split them later this year. However, it seems to me that I've read somewhere that beech will rot if it's not split and stacked right away. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[SeanBB]

I've never heard that before. You are not mistaking it for birch?

 

[johneh]

Just stack it off the ground and you will be goldon

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I have a big beech tree that's dead half-way up and big branches are beginning to fall. Time to cut it down. I don't have time to split it up right now and would like to just stack the rounds until I can split them later this year. However, it seems to me that I've read somewhere that beech will rot if it's not split and stacked right away. Can anyone shed some light on this?

If you leave the bark on birch, especially white birch, it'll be rotting in the round unless you cut into the bark lengthwise on at least a couple of sides doesn't take long. Regarding beech, I've not had this problem.

 

[peakbagger]

I expect your got your beech confused with birch.

One thing is true of beech is that many beeches suffer from beech blight that starts out as black pecks on the bark and eventually develops major scars and cankers in the bark. These are already dead wood that is starting to rot so leaving blighted beech on the ground un-split is a bad idea. Ideally you split it up and get it under cover and the rot effectively stops once its not actively getting wet. Beech can have a very twisty grain and can be difficult to split. I have the crown of one in my front yard that I dropped last winter and I dont look forward to processing it as I normally split by hand. For folks like me that are on the far fringes of the "oak belt" beech is a great dense firewood for long burns as long as its dry.

Birch trees usually rot standing up. It may still have leaves but frequently when stressed the crown does off and usually the stems will start rotting in place. Folks who wait until the tree is truly dead will usually loose 1/3 to 1/2 of the wood to rot. Best idea is when the crown starts to show any dead branches, consider dropping it. My standard advice for birch is to run the though the bark the length of the tree. It can substantially delay the start of rot associated with birches.

 

[beatlefan]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Sounds like I had the rotting without splitting issue confused with birch. I'll buck it, stack the rounds and cover. I expect the upper 1/3 of the tree to be rotten already.

It does, however, seem to have the blight mentioned by peakbagger.

 

[beatlefan]

Here are a couple of photos of the tree. I have a wooded lot and it's impossible to get a photo of just one tree. 1st image shows the black spots. 2nd one is of the whole tree. The upper 2/3 or so is completely void of leaves.

 

[peakbagger]

Random Beech blight image

 

[firefighterjake]

While everyone is spot on about birch being an issue if not split . . . I have a friend who mentioned that beech left in the round may rot sooner rather than later if not split and stacked.

Not sure how true or not this is . . . since I like to get my wood stacked and split as soon as possible to start the seasoning process.

 

[fireview2788]

My experience is that beech will go bad quicker than ash. I've had it in the exact same stack and had it worthless and the ash was fine.


f v

 

[Prof]

Beech will definitely rot pretty fast if it is in contact with the ground. Beyond being obsessed with wood, I am also obsessed with mushrooms--and they love beech. Even in my stacks, I find that the beech spits will have some fungus activity when the maple, hickory, etc does not.

 

[beatlefan]

Beech will definitely rot pretty fast if it is in contact with the ground. Beyond being obsessed with wood, I am also obsessed with mushrooms--and they love beech. Even in my stacks, I find that the beech spits will have some fungus activity when the maple, hickory, etc does not.

I've seen many mushrooms growing on the side of this tree.

 

[Jeffm1]

I have a big beech tree that's dead half-way up and big branches are beginning to fall. Time to cut it down. I don't have time to split it up right now and would like to just stack the rounds until I can split them later this year. However, it seems to me that I've read somewhere that beech will rot if it's not split and stacked right away. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Yup, birch not beech. But still probably want to CSS sooner rather than later. Always is best idea.

 

[peakbagger]

Beech will definitely rot pretty fast if it is in contact with the ground. Beyond being obsessed with wood, I am also obsessed with mushrooms--and they love beech. Even in my stacks, I find that the beech spits will have some fungus activity when the maple, hickory, etc does not.

You have me curious, generally shitake mushroom folks specify oak logs to inoculate, I am curious if beech would be a good substitute?

 

[Ashful]

Rotting beech:



Rotting beach:



Rotting birch:

 

[Prof]

You have me curious, generally shitake mushroom folks specify oak logs to inoculate, I am curious if beech would be a good substitute?

Never tried it, but I've definitely picked a variety of mushrooms from beech trees. I did grow shitakes on maple before, I don't know why beech wouldn't work.