IMPORTANT FOREST SPECIES 393 



distinction between the sapwood and heartwood. The heart of the old trees . . . 

 colors a brownish red . . . with rather prominent but moderately close medullary- 

 rays. It lacks pliancy and easily becomes twisted and cracked; it is liable to rot and 

 does not polish; when subjected to alternate drying and wetting it does not last long 

 but is fairly durable under water and when constantly wet. 



Beech is not therefore a building timber; but, being easily worked, it is frequently 

 used by a number of trades, such as wheelrights for felloes, by basket makers, shoe- 

 makers, joiners, mechanics, turners, etc. It is one of the easiest woods to be thoroughly 

 treated with preservatives; when so treated it makes good railway ties. Density, one 

 of the most important properties of beech, depends on several circumstances such as 

 altitude, latitude, aspect, soil, and whether grown in open or dense stands. It is in 

 no way proportional to the thickness of the rings which vary from 0.27 to 0.36 of an inch. 



Fuel Value. — The most important use of beech is for fuel. The calorific power has 

 been taken as a unit by the best authorities (G. L. Hartig, Werneck, I. Hartig) not on 

 account of its having the highest fuel value, for some other species (yoke elm and sorb 

 tree) exceed it, but because it is the best known and the most frequently used. As a 

 matter of fact, the fuel value is proportional to and as variable as the density of the 

 wood. Beech wood burns with a bright clear flame and gives embers which remain 

 incandescent until completely burnt out. . . . Beech charcoal is highly prized 

 for domestic purposes and for treating ores. 



By-Products. — The kernel of the beech nut contains from 15 to 17 per cent of its 

 weight in a fat (non-siccative) oil which is edible raw, when extracted, and is quite 

 suitable for lighting purposes. 



A heavy mast is for this reason an important source of profit both for the owners 

 of the beech plantations and for those who buy the right to gather the fruit. An acre 

 of 150-year-old beech high forest yields, in years when there is a mast, up to 57 bushels 

 of beech nuts (Retz forest, according to Fortier) from which 409 pounds of oil may 

 be extracted. 



Silvicultural Characteristics. — The beech is best grown in high forest, and 

 because of its dense crown and abundant htter it fertiHzes the soil. . . . It is 

 usually regenerated from seed and the tolerance of the seedhngs makes complete natural 

 regeneration all the easier. While it can be grown pm-e, it is advantageous to mix it 

 with species of more rapid growth, since beech exerts a most favorable influence on 

 their good development. On the other hand, it is necessary to guard against the tend- 

 ency of the beech to again become dominant instead of remaining in the understory. 

 . . . Beech can be managed under the selection system and then the trees furnish 

 less wood than in the high forest. It does not retain its sprouting capacity long enough 

 to permit advantageous management as simple coppice. Under this form of treat- 

 ment the stand does not remain fully stocked except on open slopes and provided it is 

 cut very young. Of all the forest species it is almost the only one which accommodates 

 itself to treatment as selection coppice (furete). Retained as standards in the coppice- 

 under-standards system, the beech has such a thick, full crown that it shades out all 

 vegetation underneath; only short-bole trees are obtained which yield a small amount 

 of sawlogs of mediocre quaUty. To sum up: The beech is a species that is especially 

 valuable in shallow sod and where the ground has been impoverished by grazing or by 

 destructive treatment. . . . 



HORNBEAM 



(Carpinus betulus) 



Climate and Soil. — The hornbeam is a tree of the plains and valleys. In the 

 mountains, such as the Vosges, Jura of the Central Plateau, it disappears abruptly and 

 hardly becomes more than a bush. It is foimd throughout the entire part of France 



