Why do Beech trees drop their branches ??

[Shewie]

I had a walk round one of my old haunts at the weekend and noticed a number of Beech trees which had decided to drop their limbs. One or two of them were huge aswell, I would have loved to have been around when it happened, but not too close for obvious reasons.

We all know they do it, but I for one don`t know why ????

One in particular was a large healthy looking specimen approximately 60ft tall and had dropped almost an entire side, branches 3ft wide were laid shattered all around the base.

Unfortunately I didn`t have my camera with me so no piccies I`m afraid. I might take a walk over there tomorrow though if I`m feeling any better.


Rich

 

[spamel]

I think it is just the sheer weight of the branches and the way that they tend to droop down. Eventually, somethings got to give!

 

[Chester`C]

They tend to drop during the spring time when the rising sap makes the branches break off under the extra weight I don't think it's a particulary brittle wood but when its huge limbs grow almost horizontally it does itself no favours

HENCE
DO NOT CAMP UNDER BEECH IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE

 

[Ogri the trog]

I've only read that beeches are reknowned for this,
but I have no experience of it happening myself. Not to any greater or lesser degree than any other species of tree anyway.
I took a walk through the woods where I grew up over the New year period and was saddened to see that almost the entire woodland seemed to be decaying. In recent years, the council have erected fences along most of the pathways and the underlayers are now thick with bramble and ivy whereas it used to flourish with bluebells etc every spring. There were cherry trees falling by the dozen along with ash's which seemed to have great splits in the bark from ground to tip. Elders were falling over onto the pathways and many trees, both healthy and fallen were marked with number tags. The flytippers are still doing all they can to spoil the place and the seemingly obligatory fire had been set against the bole of a once mighty oak. The one thing I did notice on the positive side was that the recent rain had washed clean the first few hundred yards of pathway where you would normally have to tip-toe through the dogs-doings, which was a pleasant change.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[reddy]

I didn't know about beech trees shedding their branches (any more than other trees anyway) until I found this website (and had a good lurk) a few weeks ago I'll bear it in mind next time I go camping defo.

I used to collect old bushcraft/ survival/ self sufficiency books, and the only tree they advised never to camp under where elms. They never mentioned why, but maybe that dutch elm disease had something to do with it?

When I think about it, the tree/ branches I most often see damaged is probably old willow. I've noticed birch has a habit of uprooting and falling easily when it grows tall, but maybe thats just in my (damp) area of the country.

Adore the forum btw - so much good info, only problem is once I start reading all the posts I can't seem to stop!

 

[Shewie]

Welcome to the site reddy - how about an introduction ???


Rich

 

[law]

ive climbed numerous beech and i must say i always double check my ancher points
the are prone to encluded bark which means its a weak branch union hence they drop limbs often, they are also one of the easiest trees to see branch bark collers and ridges which is the area we should try to prune branches/limbsback too apart from growth points that is.hope that helps

 

[decorum]

I'm not certain of any of this but it is what I was told many years ago:
Beech trees drop limbs due to the species being a shallow rooter. The shallow rooting causes instability in strong winds or too much weight on (or, as with sap rising, in) a limb and it would be favourable to the tree's survival to lose limbs rather than fall over.

A nick-name for the Beech tree is 'Widow maker'

 

[reddy]

Of course - my poor manners!

I've done a little 'hello all' in intros thread!

 

[Steve R]

Depending on soil and position, the Beech can grow into a massive tree of up to 140 feet high with an impressive crown of up to 130 feet feet wide. Hundred feet high specimens are not a rarity and the tree grows generally larger than the Oak. The stately, column-like trunks rise straight and smooth and may become 8 feet in diameter or more.
In summer, the foliage is so dense, that it can be difficult to spot the well-shaped branches. The lack of sunlight at the bottom of the crown is the reason why the lower branches die off in time.

Source.

http://www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/beech.htm

Sounds like a reason.

 

[Aaron]

Horse Chestnut do the same thing during the summer

 

[John Fenna]

Has anyone actually seen, or even heard, a Beech tree shed a limb?
Where I live now there are very few Beeches and although I have seen fallen branches - some biggies there as well! -I have never seen/heard one go.
When I lived in Belgium I spent a lot of time in the forest around Brussels. This forest is mainly Beech, and yet I never saw or heard a branch let go.
I have however seen and heard many trees of other sorts, Oak, Ash, Spruce etc come crashing down in windy conditions.
Is it that Beech trees are unpredictable that gives them such a bad rep?
Is it paranoia?
I would of thought that driving for half an hour to a meet presented more actual danger to a bushcrafter than spending 12 hours asleep under a beech tree (statistically speaking).
The only tree that has ever dropped anything on me (that hurt - not counting leaves here) was an Oak. An acorn falling from the top of a tree gives you quite a wack!
Avoiding all risks is - naturally - impossible, but is the Beech as bad a risk as we seem to think?

 

[decorum]

Is it that Beech trees are unpredictable that gives them such a bad rep?

Is it paranoia?

The unpredictability of the Beech can undoubtably cause excessive caution and paranoia.

The most important thing which we all need to remember is that all trees can drop limbs.

Risk can make you feel alive,
Caution can keep you alive,
Too much of either can paralyse.

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Risk can make you feel alive,
Caution can keep you alive,
Too much of either can paralyse.

That is so true

 

[spamel]

I have seen a rather large limb falling from a tree, and it came down with a crash! I didn't stick around to see what tree it was, but if it had landed on you, it would have been an instant flat pack moment!

 

[robin wood]

"Has anyone actually seen, or even heard, a Beech tree shed a limb?"

Well in the big storm in October 1989 (2 years after the "great storm" I was working at the woodland in Kent which was the epicentre of the 87 storm. I had always wanted to see a tree blown down and spent the whole night wandering about watching the survivors of "87 trashing about. Many trees came down that night, one huge old pollard beech I must have missed by seconds, one minute it was there then it was gone, but I never actually saw one fall.

A few years later when dangerous tree surveys were just coming in I was at a National Trust conference debating this issue, Oliver Rackham asked if it was not actually paranoia and we were told that the greatest number of insurance claims against the Trust in the previous year had been due to limbs falling on cars.

Later that year I was involved in a training session at Chartwell, everyone present scrutinised the trees in the car park and passed them as OK, the very next day a huge beech shed a limb on top of a car. I have more experience of Horse Chestnut doing this and have known many limbs come down on perfectly still days in spring when they are just into leaf.

There is probably a higher risk of being hit by a falling branch than being hit by lightening but as someone else said the real risk today is on the road.

 

[John Fenna]

I am sure I have seen RM kip in a Beech wood...but the only film I have seen of him driving has been of him on deserted desert tracks......risk assessment in action?

 

[Shewie]

Didn`t Ray squat down under a huge Beech to watch the badgers in Four Seasons ??

I must admit when I came across the biggest casualty at the weekend I just about ran underneath it for fear of my 12stone foot steps setting it off again.


Rich

 

[addo]

Ive often thought about the Beech branch drop problem.
It does happen on all trees but its more noticable with the very large limbs of beech. Wind, light levels and poor branch unions, all play a part in this.
The main problem with beech is total failure, Due to to wind, size, and two types of Fungi.
Honey Fungus which rots the roots and the first few feet of the internal main stem, and Giant Polypore, a bracket type which concentrates on the roots.
I would also be aware of Oaks in Summer, which drop far more branches, due to an increasing problem called funnily enough "Summer Branch Drop". This is its own way of dealing with stress mainly due to drought, and can happen without warning on very nice calm days on long heavy lateral branches. Its basicly reducing the amount of water it needs to sustain itself, as it has one of the largest water uptake of native trees.
Hope that helps, when camping look out for bracket fungi on all trees including dark brown/black ones on Ash, obvious week limbs with splits and the weather and you should be fine.

 

[JonnyP]

I had always thought it was something to do with drought that made beeches lose their branches, but as Steve quoted, lack of light makes sence to me, it does seen to be mainly the lower branches that are shed. Many of the big beeches in St Leonards forest horsham dropped big branches last year. I think that all trees will drop branches but you notice the beech tree more cos ist branches are huge.
It is a sorry sight to see a once beautiful and majestic old tree with a load of its huge limbs lying around it..