Beech

Do you want to plant a Beech? Here you will find all the information you need on how to best plant the Beech, and on pruning and caring for your Beech.

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General characteristics of a Beech

Beech, Fagus sylvatica, can be found in many of our forests, avenues and large gardens. Standing alone, Beech trees often have a beautiful spherical crown. You can recognize Beech trees by their almost always smooth trunks with bark that is gray to gray-green in color.

Characteristics

How to plant a Beech

Roots at least 10 cm below the ground

How to harvest a Beech

Very easy sower

Caring for and pruning your Beech

Removing dead branches in winter

Where does a Beech grow

Beech thrives in moist, well-drained, calcareous, loamy soils. It does not tolerate high water tables or dry sandy soils. The tree tolerates shade well, but not direct sunlight if other plants are removed around it.

General

Origin	Native
Tree Type	Deciduous tree

Length and Age

Length in about 10 years	3 Up to 4 Meter
Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years	15 Up to 20 year
Maximum Age	150 Up to 200 year
Required Space	80 Up to 100m2
Growth Rate

Reproduction

Tree is Self-Pollinating	No
Reproduction Method	Makes seedlings
Reproduction rate

Reproduction rate

1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds).

2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required

3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion).

4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces

5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed).

Pruning Period

This Tree is Evergreen	No
Summer	June tot July
Winter	September tot October
Leaf Shapes	Oval
Easy to prune	No

Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Lenticels	Yes
Colour

Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Colour
Bud Position	Varied
Bud Shape	Pointed

Other

Root	Broad root system
Bloom	Has flowers
Wind sensitivity	Sensitive to (sea) wind

Diseases

Sensitive to the Following Diseases

Not particularly susceptible to any specific disease

Harvest/recognition in winter

Long pointed brown buds; smooth bark

Light requirement of the Beech

The Beech thrives best under these light conditions.

Partial shade

Full shade

Suitable soil types for the Beech

In this overview, you can find which soil types are best for the Beech to grow.

Soil type	Suitability
light clay
heavy clay
sand
peatland
Loam
Moerig op zand
Lichte zavel
Zware zavel

Humidity

A (ground)water level indicates how deep the groundwater usually is below the surface. The higher the Roman numeral, the deeper the groundwater.

III

VII

VIII

Suitable acidity level for the Beech

Each soil type has a certain acidity level, measured in pH values. You can plant the Beech in soil that falls within this range:

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

Nutritional needs of the Beech

Some soil types offer more nutritional richness than others.

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

1.	Very nutrient-poor soil
2.	Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil
3.	Nutrient-poor soil
4.	Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil
5.	Moderately nutrient-rich soil
6.	Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil
7.	Nutrient-rich soil
8.	Extremely nutrient-rich soil
9.	Very extremely nutrient-rich soil

Humidity

Does Beech like to have its roots in extremely dry (1.0) or wet (9.0) soil?

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

1.	Extremely dry soils
2.	Extremely dry to dry soils
3.	Dry soils
4.	Dry to dry/moist soils
5.	Dry/moist soils
6.	Dry/moist to moist soils
7.	Moist soils
8.	Moist to wet soils
9.	Wet soils

To be applied in landscapes

0 = not filled in, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable

Landscape	Suitability
Agroforestry
Hedge
Hedge
Forest
Feeding hedge
Back yard
Small back yard
Solitary
Wood wall

Cultural-historical value

0 = not filled in, 1 = low, 9 = high

Insects

How many insects typically live on this tree/plant?	98
Which insect groups live on this tree/plant?
Are there insects dependent on this species?	No
Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant?

Birds

Average number of birds per tree/plant?
Which bird groups live on this tree/plant?

Mammals

Average number of mammals per tree/plant?
Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant?
Are there mammals dependent on this species?	No
Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant?

Bloom Period

Summer

April Up to May

Tree Species

Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with

Suitable for mammals?

toxic, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable

Mammal	Suitability
Goat
Herbivorous rodents
Dog
Chicken
Cow
Human
Horse
Sheep
Pig
Badgers
Squirrel
Beavers
Wild boar
Ferret
Deer
Cat
Roe deer
Foxes
Mouse

Explanation

Edibility

Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.

Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.