Greater Michigan Timber Management

The light grey bark of the American Beech is unusual in that it remains smooth even as it matures.  Beech is fairly even grained, tough, but dimensionally unstable. The wood is used in furniture, flooring, plywood, drum frames, and more. American Beech grows in mixed deciduous forests along with Oaks and Maples. Young saplings can sustain in dense shade for years. The fruit of the American Beech tree is an important foodsource for a wide variety of wildlife.

Squirrels, grouse, bear, raccoons, deer and many other animals eat the abundant and edible beedhnuts of the American Beech tree.