Spindly Beech (Black Diamond) Traditional Cache

This Spindly Beech made me wonder if it would manage to survive in the dense woods. Apparently beeches are adaptable, and survive by getting spindly, instead of the usual robust shape.

BYOP please.

American Beech

Fagus grandifolia

The formal and stately American beech holds a special place in many hearts. The wide-spreading canopy provides great shade in the summer and beautiful bronze coloring in the fall. It is a versatile tree, often used in parks, golf courses, acreages and the forestry industry.

The American beech is not a tree you plant for fast growth and quick shade—this slow grower is planted for future generations to enjoy. And what a lovely legacy for you to leave.

Mature Size

The American beech grows to a height of 50–70' and a spread of around 40' at maturity.

Growth Rate

This tree grows at a slow to medium rate, with height increases of anywhere from less than 12" to 24" per year.

Sun Preference

Full sun is the ideal condition for this tree, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.

Soil Preference

The American beech grows in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, silty loam, well-drained and clay soils. It is very drought sensitive.

Attributes

This tree:

    •    Develops a dense canopy.

    •    Provides golden bronze fall color.

    •    Features simple leaves that are 3–6" long with sharp, incurved teeth on the margins.

    •    Yields edible, hard, brown beechnuts that are ½–1" in diameter.

    •    Compensates for its slow grown with longevity.

    •    Retains its smooth bark as it ages.

    •    Needs plenty of space.

    •    Grows in an oval shape.

Wildlife Value

Beechnuts are eaten by birds and mammals, serving as an important food for chipmunks and squirrels.

History/Lore

A sturdy, densely canopied tree, the American Beech was a sign of fertile soil to early settlers and was quickly removed so the plow could take over and farming for food could commence. In hilly locations, it was the home for migrating Passenger Pigeons who were so numerous that they broke off the limbs of the trees from the sheer weight of their numbers when they perched on them. There was a Beech tree on the old stage road between Blountsville and Jonesboro, Tennessee that had an inscription carved into the trunk that read "D. Boone Cilled A Bar On Tree In Year 1760." The tree fell in 1916 and had a girth of 28-1/2 feet. The Forest Service estimated the tree's age to be 365 years, making it fully two centuries old before Daniel Boone inscribed on it.

The smooth bark of the American beech presents a tempting surface for the carving of initials and names. Carvings into the beech bark will persist for the life of the tree but besides marring the natural beauty of the tree may also serve as an entry way into the tree for fungi or wood damaging insects.

In the shaded conditions of a forest stand, the American beech forms a long, straight, massive trunk that rises up into a small, dense crown of foliage. In sunnier, more open sites, the American beech forms a short (although still massive!) trunk that diverges into a large number of horizontal branches to form a huge, widely spreading crown. The American beech is especially found in sites that have moist soils, especially along streams and creeks, in bottom lands, and in shaded, protected ravines. Any site, though, with adequate soil moisture will support the American beech. Its root system is shallow and widely spreading which adapts it well to wet conditions. It is able to sprout new seedlings from its roots and often dense thickets of these root-sprouted seedlings are found around older, undisturbed trees.

The American beech grows extremely well in the shaded conditions of the forest floor.

It is recognized as the most shade "tolerant" northern hardwood species. It readily forms pure stands but is often found in association with other hardwood species (especially sugar maple and yellow birch but also black cherry, white ash and northern red oak) and conifers (like white pine, hemlock and red spruce). Because of its thin bark and shallow root system, the American beech is very susceptible to damage from forest fires. Older trees are often damaged and weakened by fungal infestations and rot.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, “small” pill bottle, that you have to push hard to open and close. Please keep track of everything and recamo, when you’re done. BYOP.