Creative Woodworks & crafts 2004-06, страница 70

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The leaves are egg shaped to slightly oblong. 2" to 6" long, sharply serrated with each rib terminating at a tooth. They are dark green above and liglit green beneath, and turn bright yellow in the autumn, changing to brown as they age, with many leaves hanging on until spring.

by Wes Demaresl

American Beech

American Beech, Fagus grandifblia, is referred to as simply "beech," and sometimes as the "initial tree." Tt grows in moist, fertile soil, often in the company of birch and maple, which together make up much of the northern hardwood forests. Beech can be found growing from New Brunswick, Canada, west to Wisconsin, and as far south as northern Florida. The southern perimeter of its range stretches west all the way to Texas. There are at least 10 species of beech growing throughout the northern hemisphere, and most are valued for their ornamental and timber value. Many have been hybridized and offer a diversity of shapes and colors that are valued in landscape projects.

The tree has a pleasing shape and, when open grown, it has a large spreading crown, short stem and is normally free from disease. Tt grows to a height of 80 feel with trunk diameters up to 4 feet, but tlie log tends to be short, even when forest grown.

The bark is the most distinctive feature of the species and is easily identified by its smooth gray texture, no matter where the U"ee is located. Unlike many other trees, the bark doesn't change very much throughout its life. The not-so-common name, "initial tree," is well founded bccause anything carved into the bark will remain for the life of the tree. Some consider this a disfigurement, but because of the number of trees bearing initials, dates and the like, this opinion is clearly not universally shared.

70 • Creative Woodworks S Crafts June 3004