11 minute read
Life’s A Beech
The beech tree obtained its genus, Fagus, from Celtic mythology. It’s known as the Queen of British trees and shares a long association with femininity.
Beech arrived on these shores after the last ice age and is now recorded as a native tree in the south of England, while further north it’s still viewed as something of an intruder.
With smooth bark, tinctured grey, the mature beech is majestic. In established woodland the dense canopy restricts light penetration, often leading to a lack of greenery at ground level – and yet beech woodland where it’s often dry underfoot and There’s something life affirming about being in the presence of a majestic tree, pondering an arboreal lifetime and what happened within it; so we asked Robert Veitch to find out a few facts about beech trees… and then search for a tall one
carpeted in layers of crisp decaying leaves is an utter delight to wander through.
Beech bark is thin and easily cut, as anyone who has ever carved hearts containing initials into a beech trunk will know. But the bark won’t heal and the scars will remain, so don’t do it!
Beech leaves emerge in spring, oval shaped and lime green with fine hairs along the edge. They darken over the summer, before evolving into the glorious yellow, amber and orange hues of autumn. A beech becomes a veteran between 125 – 200 years, after which it becomes ancient. Some have been known to reach 400 years of age. Beech makes an excellent hedge. Keep it well manicured in the autumn and it won’t shed leaves until the following spring when new
leaves emerge. This creates a dense year-round screen from the neighbours and provides a habitat for garden birds.
Copper beech is a variation on the Common beech and mostly grown as an ornamental tree in large gardens, although a few roam wild across the landscape.
Beech trees can take up to 40 years to mature and start producing beechnuts or ‘masts’ as they’re known. The seeds are located inside small Evolving into the glorious yellow, amber and orange hues of autumn
prickly pods reminiscent of Velcro. They’re slightly nutty in flavour and although edible, for centuries they were fed to pigs to help fatten them up.
Beech chips have been used in smokeries through the ages; for herring and salmon, hams, sausages and some cheeses.
Budweiser use short spirals of beech in their fermenting tanks to help the yeast do its thing.
Well-seasoned beech makes excellent firewood, and of course it burns with a pleasant smell.
Beech remains a popular wood in furniture making and flooring. l
FINDING THE TALLEST NATIVE TREE IN ENGLAND
The beech tree within Newtimber Holt grows in woodland owned by the National Trust. In 2015 it was climbed and measured at 44.5m (146 feet) and crowned the tallest native tree in England. The seed would have first put down roots when George III was on the throne, two centuries previously.
Today, it is a majestic leviathan that can be
Newtimber Holt reached on foot from the north. On the A281 between Pyecombe and Poynings, there is a lay by at the what3words location heap. valuables.maybe
From there, take the footpath across the road by the National Trust sign. I tried this on 11th July, slipping and sliding in trainers under drizzling skies; but failed, very quickly.
Undeterred, and full of confidence I returned at 6am on the 15th July, set for success and armed to shoot some gloriously dappled photos as the sun came up. My confidence was grossly exaggerated, as the narrow twisting paths of
the escarpment seemingly looped around in circles. I deviated upwards where possible, through the undergrowth; believing it was over here, or over there, maybe even over there, but it was always out of reach… You might conclude a tree that size would stand out!
There may have been Wind in the Willows for Kenneth Grahame, but there was certainly Swearing Among the Beeches on this occasion. With cuts, bruises and midge bites, this glutton for punishment went home to lick his wounds, having failed once again.
There’s another beech in Hagg Wood in Derbyshire that might be slightly taller than the Newtimber beech, but I’m not offering to find that one. Anyway… the inherent problem with measuring the exact height of any tall tree is that it’s difficult to get the tape measure all the way to the very top!
Robert’s GPS tracker
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