The color of the American Beech trunk is very distinctive. The top picture is an aged picture and the bottom picture are younger trees.

The bark is light grey, smooth and thin. They succumb easier to fire than the other trees they share the forest. The bark can be injured by winter frost and damaged bark allows a sap-rotting fungus.

What is truly interesting about the Beech is that it's saplings do best when under the shade of a Sugar Maple and vice versa. So the dominant tree in this forest may fluctuate between the two species. The phenomena is called frequency-dependent selection (click here). Here again, this is about genetics.

Moist rich soils along uplands and well drained lowlands.

The American Beech was one of the first trees recognized by the early colonists due to their familiarity with the European Beech tree.

The nuts of the American Beech are favorites to wildlife, especially squirrels, raccoons, game birds, bears, and other mammals.