American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is a wonderful tree with redeeming qualities for wildlife, timber, firewood, and aesthetics.  However, it is limited by the presence of two invasive pests, a scale insect and an introduce fungus.  When American beech is attacked by these pests, or if it is otherwise disturbed by cutting or other damages, it produces root suckers.  The root suckers can become very dense (> 7500 per acre that are less than 1" diameter). The suckers are tolerant of shade and are not typically palatable to deer.  The end result is a beech thicket that effectively excludes other more desirable hardwood species.

Because of the potential for beech, especially in the presence of beech bark disease (the insect + the fungus), many owners or foresters seek strategies to help control the abundance of beech.  There are a variety of methods, both organic and chemical in nature, that have specific circumstances where they are most appropriate.  The correct strategy depends on the size of the the biggest beech you wish to kill and whether there is a closed overhead canopy.  Not all management strategies have comparable effectiveness or efficiency. 

 

I wrote a fact sheet on beech management with Dr. Ralph Nyland, and the link to the pdf is provided.  This fact sheet is a good starting point for those interested in trying to manage beech.  After reviewing the fact sheet, if you have questions please share them here.  Also, if you try a management strategy, record the circumstances (e.g., number and size of beech, time of year, intensity of the treatment, % of stems treated, etc.) and share your success.  We will all learn from the reports of others.

I have attached a link to a Beech Bark Disease Symposium from about 2006.  This symposium proceedings has many interesting topics on the ecology, biology, pathology, entomology and management of beech and the related pests.  If you do an internet search on "beech bark disease" you will recover plenty to read.

 

Views: 1484

Attachments:

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Vermont Coverts had an insert on Beech Bark Disease in their September 2011 newsletter. I thought some folks here might find it interesting.

John:

Great link to the newsletter.  Thanks for sharing.  Anyone wanting a thorough and accessible discussion of the disease should consult this link.

Peter

I would like to manage my approx 1 acre of beech sprouts for firewood by thinning them progressively and harvesting the wood at 3 to 6" diameter. Any guidelines or tips to go about this or is it just that simple? Is this an efficient use of land for firewood production? 

Thanks Peter.

I'm not really all that knowledgeable on the subject, but you might try googling the term "coppice firewood" or "Coppicing".  This is a practice widely used in Europe that sounds similar to what you are interested in doing. I heard a talk on it once, but that was several years ago, and don't remember much of the recommendations they made.

I've been meaning to experiment with it, but just haven't gotten around to it.

Thanks John.

I recently had a visit from a forester I heard speak at the landowners conference at Pioneer High School. He recommended that I should control the beech in an area I want to have a timber harvest in the future. His recommendation was to use Garlon 4 for basal bark treatment or Mad Dog (roundup) if I elect to cut the beech. It seems to me that basal bark treament would be quicker, but maybe more expensive. Any thoughts on one versus the other

One nice benefit of cut stump treatment is having the downed beech trees to help deter deer from browsing any subsequent regeneration you get in response to the added light to the forest floor.

You can leave the tops for some browse protection, and to eventually rot and return nutrients to the forest, and take the trunks for firewood - beech is excellent firewood.

You also might consider girdling (or basal bark treatment) for a couple of the larger trees to make snags for wildlife.

RSS

Forum

Replanting after timber harvest with climate change in mind

Started by Ben T. in Woodlot Management. Last reply by Patrik Schumann on Tuesday. 1 Reply

Hi Everyone,I’ve been wondering what tree species are going to thrive over the next 50+ years as the climate warms in New York and I’m curious if folks are enhancing plantings of particular tree species for future commercial harvest with warmer and…Continue

Rust Colored Hemlock Bark

Started by Carl Albers in Woodlot Management Dec 31, 2023. 0 Replies

Picture of a hemlock with rust colored bark.  When I cut a nearby tree, also with rust colored bark, it was infested with HWA.  Attached picture shows a Logrite ATV arch in use.Continue

Rust Colored Hemlock Bark

Started by Carl Albers in Woodlot Management Dec 31, 2023. 0 Replies

The hemlocks in my woodlots have been infested with hemlock wooley adelgid (HWA) for at least three years now.  Lately I've noticed some of them having a rust colored bark and I wonder if this is normal and that I just didn't notice it previously? …Continue

How to control mature white pine and hemlock to allow enrichment planting of hardwoods

Started by Peter Smallidge in Woodlot Management Nov 28, 2023. 0 Replies

I had a question about control of mature white pine and hemlock to improve sunlight for enrichment planting of hardwoods.  Following is my response, but I would like to know if anyone else has any experiences to share with control of these to…Continue

Story in Northern Woodlands Magazine on Deer Impacts

Started by Brett Chedzoy in Woodlot Management Aug 8, 2023. 0 Replies

This Spring we had an opportunity to speak with writer John Litvaitis about the big picture of deer impacts on the hardwood forests of the Northeast.  I posted the original story from the summer edition of Northern Woodlands to the…Continue

Ash blonding effect on lumber quality

Started by Jeff Joseph in Woodlot Management. Last reply by Jeff Joseph May 5, 2023. 2 Replies

Question: In Peter Smallidge's most recent "Ask a Professional" column for NYFOA's Forest Owner magazine he stated that some log buyers will reject ash that shows outward signs of "blonding" on the bark. Is this because the wood will change…Continue

The American Chestnut: A New Frontier in Gene Editing

Started by Brett Chedzoy in Woodlot Management May 2, 2023. 0 Replies

https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/policy/042823/the-american-chestnutInteresting discussion the difference between efforts with the American Chestnut and other…Continue

Growing Black Locust for Pleasure and Profit

Started by Brett Chedzoy in Woodlot Management Apr 20, 2023. 0 Replies

In early March I was invited to present on the opportunities for growing black locust as a timber cash crop at the Rural Landowner Conference in Allegany County.  Ryan Trapani from the Catskill Forest Owners Association asked afterwards if I would…Continue

Badge

Loading…

© 2024   Created by Peter Smallidge.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service