Station 7: Beech Trees and Age-dating White Pine trees

Beech trees generate small nuts that are eaten by a variety of wildlife, including deer, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and blue jays. The trees are tolerant of shaded conditions and typically sprout in forested areas, often in clusters. Unfortunately, the smooth bark of the Beech Tree invites vandalism in the form of carving out images/words, leaving the tree vulnerable to infection, especially by beech bark disease (BBD), which can kill the tree.

    Eastern white pines form a whorl of limbs during each growing season. The whorls can be counted to estimate the age of a tree – each whorl represents one year.