Fallen Beech Tree, Newark, Delaware

In Albums: Newark, DE trees

Apr 17th, 2011, by Alex Zorach

The same storm that resulted in a large tree branch falling on my apartment also took down this beech tree. This photo shows the tree after people had already cut and cleared many of the side branches from it.

I love beech trees; they cast dense shade, produce small but delicious nuts, have beautiful smooth bark, hold their dead leaves well into winter, giving an attractive pale tan color and functioning as a windbreak, and when planted in an open area, they make excellent climbing trees.

However, beeches are an unlikely candidate for a street tree. A tree that grows well in mature forests and likes shade, moisture, and nutrient rich soil, they generally do not grow well in cities and urban areas. This suburban neighborhood in Newark, Delaware is about the limits of the conditions in which this tree can be grown well. Beeches have a shallow root system and like to spread their roots wide, growing a massive patch of thick surface roots. When they are confined in the narrow strip between a street and a sidewalk, they typically do not anchor themselves with much stability (and they often heave sidewalks in search of space for their surface roots). Perhaps this, and perhaps the general stress of growing in unsuitable condition, resulted in this tree's weakness that enabled it to fall on this house.

If you are going to plant a beech tree, do so where it has ample room for its surface roots to spread.