Frithsden Beeches Fagus sylvatica on an early autumn morning October Ashridge Hertfordshire
The European species Fagus sylvatica yields a utility timber that is tough but dimensionally unstable. It weighs about 720 kg per cubic metre and is widely used for furniture framing and carcass construction, flooring and engineering purposes, in plywood and in household items Beech wood is used for the stocks of military rifles when traditionally preferred woods such as walnut are scarce or unavailable The fruit of the beech tree is known as beechnuts or mast and is found in small burrs that drop from the tree in autumn. It is small, roughly triangular and edible, with a bitter, astringent taste. They have a high enough fat content that they can be pressed for edible oil. Fresh from the tree, beech leaves are a fine salad vegetable, as sweet as a mild cabbage though much softer in texture Beech was a late entrant to Great Britain after the last glaciation, and may have been restricted to basic soils in the south of beech is classified as a native in the south of England and as a non-native in the north where it is often removed from 'native' areas of the Chilterns are covered with beech woods, which are habitat to the Common Bluebell and other flora. The Cwm Clydach National Nature Reserve in southeast Wales was designated for its beech woodlands which are believed to be on the western edge of their natural range.
Size: 4920px × 4987px
Location: Hertfordshire UK
Photo credit: © Ernie Janes / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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