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AMERICAN BEECH (Fagus grandifolia)
Other names: beech, beechnut, white beech, red beech.

FAIR

The beech is an eastern states tree, extending as far west as Wisconsin in the Great Lakes region. This tree is slow growing, reaches 2 or 3 ft. in diameter and up to 300 years of age. The bark is smooth, bluish-gray in color and thin. The beech heals slowly when injured. The tree does reproduce as suckers from the parent root system. The beech nut is formed in a bur which looks very much like the chinquapin bur of the Pacific coast. 

There is no report of a recovered beech bearing tree. Many were marked by the original surveyors. The beech is the tree specifically mentioned as the tree type which should be bark scribed in the earlier instructions by surveyor's general. The beech is susceptible to many killing fungi. The wood decays quickly. Though original trees must still exist today the older and larger trees have probably disappeared. 

The instruction to bark scribe beech bearing tree's still applies. Select young trees however because larger trees are subject to butt-rot, etc. Paint the scribe marks.