How-To Features Tree Registry Register your trees for customized advice. Beech has diffuse-porous wood.
All vessels are about the same size and arranged evenly throughout the growth increment.
Beech will tolerate low light and often it will grow very slowly, as shown here, as an understory tree. When it is released into light, it grows rapidly. A small wound with decay was compartmentalized in the center of the tree. The tree lost branches at this time and a core of protection wood formed. This type of protection wood is called false heartwood, because the death of branches triggers the process.