- Recognize beech by the bark
- The bark of the young beech
- Cork cannot be dissolved in scales
- The bark of beech trees changes with age
Its bark or bark makes a red beech unmistakable. In forests, the trees stand out because of their light gray shimmer and the very smooth-looking bark. A fine dust is often found under beech trees. This is the crumbling cork. Interesting facts about the bark of beech trees.
The bark of older beech trees is greyish
Recognize beech by the bark
- Young trees: dark green to black bark
- older trees: gray to silver-grey bark
- smooth
- fissured
- larger cracks in old trees
- Bark does not fall off
The bark of the young beech
Young beech trees can be recognized by the fact that the bark has not yet turned the typical silver grey. The bark of young trees is dark green, almost black. At this time the bark is still completely smooth and completely without cracks.
Cork cannot be dissolved in scales
In most trees, the bark forms thick scales, the so-called cork, which can be detached from the tree. However, the cork of the copper beech does not become flaky and cannot be removed as a whole.
The cork or phellem instead crumbles and falls off. There, over time, it forms a thin layer that covers the ground around the copper beech.
The bark of beech trees changes with age
The older the beech becomes, the lighter the color of the trunk. The bark turns light gray. The scars from fallen branches are clearly visible.
The trunk diameter can grow up to two meters. The bark is torn open by fine longitudinal grooves. The bark is not as coarse and clearly grained as, for example, in oaks or other forest trees.
The bark of the common beech offers little shelter for insects. Even pests cannot penetrate the tree through the undamaged bark. However, the trunk of the common beech is sensitive to the sun and therefore grows best if the lower area is protected by undergrowing trees, such as hornbeams.
tips
In beech forests, beech trees with very thick and cracked bark can occasionally be found. This is a slightly different species of the common beech, the stone beech with the botanical name Fagus sylvatica var. quercoides. However, it must not be confused with the hornbeam, which is also sometimes referred to as the stone beech because of its hard wood.