American Beech tree – 5/22/18

Observer: Paul Lauenstein

Observation Date: 5/22/18

Observation Time: 10:45 a.m.

Observation Location: Town-owned conservation land near Sandy Ridge Circle

Common Name: American Beech tree

Scientific Name: Fagus grandifolia

Comments: The American Beech is a shade-tolerant species, favoring shade more than other trees, commonly found in forests in the final stage of succession. Ecological succession is essentially the process of forests changing their composition through time; it is a pattern of events often observed on disturbed sites. Although sometimes found in pure stands, it is more often associated with sugar maple (forming the beech-maple climax community), yellow birch, and eastern hemlock, typically on moist well drained slopes and rich bottomlands.

More Information: Wikipedia