Vernon VT Nature Finds: American Beech Trees; Vital Importance for Wildlife

Thursday, April 2, 2020

American Beech Trees; Vital Importance for Wildlife

For most, the easiest way to identify the American Beech tree is by looking for the names of sweethearts carved into its gray smooth bark. For my children however, "The Birthday Tree." was a large tree that dominated our backyard and shaded the family picnic table. When birthday balloons were tied to its lower branches, they knew cake was sure to follow. There is nothing quite like positive reinforcement when learning new things.

Aside from marking moments of joy like a calendar in the woods, the American Beech is an important member of mast producing trees. While acorns may be revered by those wanting a big healthy deer population; the beechnut is vital for buffering the acorn crop and creating a diversified food source for a wide range of animals. Birds, fox, bear, rodents and of course deer, all depend on the beechnut for its high protein and fat content. A black bear study by VT Fish and Wildlife concerning the impact of development and clearing of a major American Beech stand in Deerfield is ongoing.

The problem for landowners and woodlot managers comes in when taking into consideration that the American Beech is a large densely crowned shade tree without much timber value. The beech not only shades out its competition, it propagates primarily by its roots. Anyone with a beech on their property knows to be careful of surface roots lest you stub a toe and toss the cake. For these reasons the American Beech has lost favor with landowners which in turn is creating a food desert for wildlife.

National Arbor Day is always the last Friday in April. The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today. It takes forty years before a beech tree produces large amounts of nuts, so for those of you who hate raking up nuts in your yard, your safe if you plant a beech tree today.