Beech. Magnificence with a touch of the Macabre.

[Richard Francis Burton]

Hallo. Was out on a stroll the other day, didn't walk very far as I spent most of the time in quiet observance of these Magnificent Trees. They are one of my Favourites, if not my Top-dog Tree. In a Visual sense they are definitely a Wonder to behold. The way they just grab the surrounding landscape or immediate vista and completely own it, with no mercy and not a single stuff given.

They have an eerie flair for the sinister too, eh! The way it throws out Boughs like vicious tentacles with no discernible form except madness. The young Boughs & Shoots even spread out like the long bony fingers of Nosferatu reaching for his next victim. Looking at some remind me of the Alien from the film The Thing, and the shapes they throw wouldn't go amiss on some H R Giger art-work.

Well, here's some Pictures I took. A few of a Beech giving Yggdrasil a some-what dubious embrace, in one incidence the Ash is still alive & kicking, in the other it is dead.

Hope you get what I'm alluding to... Magnificently Monstrous.

You can see the main trunk has snapped off... The Tree don't care, still having it Large.

This Ash is still alive in the Embrace.

This one has succumbed.

I came across these ancient Beech, coppiced long ago. Check this madness out. The Massive Bough shooting out horizontally seemed nearly as long as the Tree is tall... remarkable Tree. Great visuals that my camera doesn't do justice too.



Hope some one gets the Sinister too.

Cheers.

 

[Robson Valley]

Judging by the lack of understory, do these trees give you a closed canopy in the summertime?

 

[Klenchblaize]

Totally agree with your assertion:

 

[Macaroon]

Judging by the lack of understory, do these trees give you a closed canopy in the summertime?

Dappled would be my description, RV, they are a great shading tree without being dense and gloomy; they are commonly known as "Widowmakers" hereabouts because of their propensity to drop very large and heavy limbs without either warning or obvious cause, which is a great shame as the mixed Beech, Oak and Holly we have in my area would otherwise be my chosen habitat for sleeping.

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

Yes they do, a vast Canopy that dominates. Also their leaves form a dense carpet to the exclusion of all except a couple of specialist plants. And camping underneath a Beech is not what you want to be doing either, at the risk being a victim of the sinister nature of this Tree. It sheds Boughs like yer Dog sheds Hairs... I've seen Beech's shed massive amounts of it's Bole and not even flinch.

What a Tree. At it's best, in my opinion, past the Autumn Equinox.

 

[Robson Valley]

Thank you. Good advice re the "widowmakers." Very dangerous here to, to go into a mixed deciduous/coniferous forest on a windy day.
Maybe 15(?) years ago = nobody saw or heard the BIG branch come off an old cottonwood tree. Killed an aquaintence of mine.
I think it must be something of the Venturi effect that speeds up the wind in narrow mountain valleys.

I have 3 spruce conifers in my front yard. Aside from the very dense shade and hundreds of cones,
the rain of needle leaves seems to poison the soil for the growth of anything. Pines are just as bad
with our geologically poor mountain soils.

Well, at least you do get the novelty of unique shapes. Here, spruce look like all other spruce, same for the pines.

 

[dwardo]

Great shots and one of my favorite trees. Where are they? Not many round near me.

 

[Toddy]

Cracking photos

I like Beech I've been munching the beechnuts from the ones round here all my life. A seasonal treat
They do drop huge great branches though, and they shatter into wooden missiles if they drop from any height at all. Heavy timbers. Lovely furniture making timber.
My hedge is beech, and the trees hang onto their leaves right up until now-ish. Lovely rich copper colour, cheerful looking and a good shelter for the birds, through Winter.

I'm told that the growth of the seedlings in some areas is killing off the understorey though. There are still enough deer to keep on top of those in the big woods here though.
Pigs used to get fat on pannage, maybe folks should encourage that practice again ?

M

 

[Harvestman]

Fabulous. Coppiced beech gives some really weird shapes.

 

[quietone]

I know of what you speak. There are a load of them on a particular route I walk. Always get a sense of foreboding when I stop a admire their shapes. Some are seriously misshapen, even for coppiced trees. Got to love them though.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

These are situated in the Northern Chiltern Hills. The massive coppiced Beech I came upon whilst mooching around Coomb Hill. The Chilterns being chalk and Flint Hills. Beech love Chalk, hence there is an abundance. A Beech Paradise.. if you'd excuse the pun.

 

[Richard Francis Burton]

Cracking photos
I'm told that the growth of the seedlings in some areas is killing off the understorey though. There are still enough deer to keep on top of those in the big woods here though.
Pigs used to get fat on pannage, maybe folks should encourage that practice again ?

M

I can imagine it would be an issue where no healthy Deer population. There are plenty of Deer this end of the Chilterns. Excellent point regarding the Pigs. With so many layers of Human-management in the Woodlands though, all topsy-turvy it gets, so more management or zealous regulation which only furthers our disconnect from the Woodlands we should be living with, well, gets into another conversation entirely.

Pigs are great for Woodland, they belong in the Woodland... they're no longer there. Should definitely be encouraged. Don't how it work though, how do you do it and not create more layers and opportunity to regulate ect.

 

[bennymk]

awesome pics pal. near the golf club in no mans land?

 

[bennymk]

just see its at Coombe Hill, have to take me there..

 

[Nice65]

These are situated in the Northern Chiltern Hills. The massive coppiced Beech I came upon whilst mooching around Coomb Hill. The Chilterns being chalk and Flint Hills. Beech love Chalk, hence there is an abundance. A Beech Paradise.. if you'd excuse the pun.

My favourite tree, to look at, and work in. A trustworthy tree.

Round here it is always the Ash known as "The Widowmaker" due to the tree splitting up the middle during cutting with old hand saws. The two man saw cutters used to just go in from the back rather than cut a gob, resulting in huge trees flicking them about. Mind you, Chestnut can do it too, but wasn't worth what Ash was.

I live on very similar, probably same part of the geology. Chalk, flint, with large Beech, Yew, Hazel, Sycamore,Ash and Birch as understory. The big Beech often mark old footpaths, and some of the "off the track" parts are said to produce fine truffles plus the more obvious Oyster mushrooms.

A lovely tree to hang a couple of hammocks

An old cliff clinging Beech.

Strangeness and charm. And a wee piggy

New Beech planting can be very beautiful too.