Is the AMERICAN BEECH the BEST Shade Tree for the Homestead??

If you're looking for he best tree to provide shade for your livestock in a silvopasture setting, consider the American Beech. The Beech tree has an incredible canopy with long branches and thick foliage. However, the Beech has some issues that you need to consider before you plan on planting in a new area or allowing to continue in an existing forested area.

Be sure to subscribe to our channel and support our efforts by giving us a thumbs up.

Items we like and use on the farm:
15% off with code RTH2020

Tractor Implements:

Energizers:

Animal Welfare:

On Instagram at

If you would like to help Red Tool House Homestead maintain the expenses of running this channel, consider using our Amazon Affiliates link when you shop on Amazon.

[nicholasoppenheimer]

Beeches are one of my favorite trees here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge in Central Virginia. 35 years ago I dug up some 2-foot tall beech saplings out of my woods and planted them 20 feet apart along the road going by my house. They are now about 35-40 feet tall and form a beautiful wall between the road and the house. Driving under them is like going through a green tunnel. Very graceful tree and hold up very well to storm damage (ice and snow load).

[georgiannacook]

We have some beautiful beech trees in our woods here near the Delaware Water Gap. They may be about 100 years old. Some have markings done by native Americans pointing to five camp sites across the street. There is an Indian trail marker tree on our next door property which points to these trees and thus to the camp sites. They form a canopy over our driveway. We also have some ridge oak, red and white oak. Love our trees.
Wildlife abounds as our dead end road has over 100 acres of preserved woods forming a wildlife corridor from Mt Tammany which forms the NJ side of the DWG. We are just below the Appalachian Trail. Love your video as we learned more about these beautiful trees. Thank you.

[westminster]

We grew up with three very old and huge Beech in our back yard. I loved their paper like leaves and light grey bark. Enormous amount of shade. The actually caused some problems as to mold and algae on the house. So they need to be well away from the house as their shade will slow down ground evaporation. They are so shady that they would make house dark inside. The town had a program to thin the canopy out on the very old ones that had very large branches rotting out.

[quinlan-sfnj]

nice to hear someone who knows what he's talking about. thanks!

[lucasdog]

The biggest commercial use for beech is railroad ties. It absorbs rot treatments well and is as strong as oak.

[Hy-Brasil]

First time i saw a beech was when i was a kid (8 or 9, maybe younger) wandering around in the woods behind my house, which wasn't easy if you're familiar with north Fl scrub.
I wasn't supposed to be out there, wasn't our land and i was alone, but it was worth it. I will never forget clawing my way through the dense brush and stumbling into a little glad with a solitary tree standing in the middle, positively golden with foliage.
I know it's probably just my child memory, this was over 30 years ago, but i will never forget it. This tree was HUGE. Maybe it was just because it was surrounded by smaller scrubby oaks, but it was the biggest tree in the area, standing over the others and the girth was quite impressive.
It literally looked like a picture from one of my fairytale books.

I showed it to my mom later, who identified it as a beech. Yeah i had to admit I was out of bounds and risked getting in trouble. But i had to know!

I was always jealous of whoever owned that land. They had no idea of the treasure they possessed.
Fastforward to just a couple years ago, on the northwest side of Florida. It was only two years after hurricane Michael. Still trying to clean up my property around our pond, i stumbled onto a small grove of beech.
When i say small, the trees weren't much bigger than healthy blueberry bushes. This was astonishing because I'd lived on this for ten years, i had been all over it, identified every species. But I'd somehow missed these!!
But they were so small. I began looking around for a parent tree. Finally found it. The hurricane had blown it over flat on the ground, but still quite alive. It was more like the trees on your land, not nearly as big in girth like the one i saw as a kid.

Last month i was at a honey bee festival with my family when i found a vendor selling plants and trees. This guy had a small potted beech that i couldn't leave without.

After planting it in my yard i can assure you sheep have no trouble with the taste of the leaves. They nipped all but a handful off.

[Englewood_guy]

Good video! Beech is a predominant species in my woods, I'm constantly thinning it back to give other species a chance. It's a native invasive species actually. Here in Maine, and throughout the Northeast I suspect, most have Beech bark disease which effects some trees more than others.
I have a love hate relationship with it too. Whenever I get smacked in the face with a branch guaranteed it's a beech sapling.
Beech is my favorite firewood, more than ash, oak and red maple (I very rarely burn my sugar maples). It's actually superior in every way. Splits easy, highest BTU, very little ash, no bark to deal with, seasons fast and is prolific in my woods anyway. Just keep it dry because I find it rots quicker than any other type of wood.

[VAwoodsman]

These (tree profiles) are my favorite videos that you do. My favorite part of farming is finding ways to integrate it with forestry and wildlife goals.

[alanvaleandthelazyfarmer]

The British wooden jack plane is made from English beech. I still use one because the steel in the blade is better than anything you can buy today.

[henrymorgan]

Great educational video. I am currently learning North American tree types. Thank you!

[bamalandfarmstead]

Great information. I just bought land with a lot of beech trees. I read where beech was used to make shiplap. I just plan on milling mine when I build my house.

[StevesAfan]

Hey there, thanks for the great info about Beech trees. We have a beech that is a favorite on our small yard.

We have several oak trees that hold the leaves well into winter, while the beech has dropped most of its leaves before winter. We’re north the 45th parallel, so maybe that’s why our beech loses leaves earlier.

Thanks again for the talk on beech trees.

[JohnSmith-tvep]

TROY, great video! Very interesting and you have a wealth of knowledge in things you explain and do on your channel! Thanks!

[boltaction]

Really looking forward to some beech milling videos... I really need to thin out the beech on my land, they are by far the biggest trees on it!

[yoopermann]

there is a BEECH TREE on my property that two guys cant put their arms around and its still growing!!

[CliffsideStables]

Thanks Troy; very helpful info to use on our place here in northern TN. Tim

[mburke]

Great information. Beech trees have always been a part of my life. I hunted squirrels under them as a kid, carved my girlfriends names into a few, and now I dread cleaning up the late leaf drop in my yard and driveway. The leaves seems to blow into every crack and crevice.

[michaelhodges]

If you mill a beach log, quarter sawn is the only way to saw it. Like you said it wants to move alot and rift and plain sawn will bow and/or curl when drying.
I really enjoy your content, bits of knowledge and some entertainment.
To me, you are a (Lynyrd Skynyrd) Simple Man Christian. That's how I try to live my life.
Take care and say a prayer.

[rsmith]

The answer is yes . Beeches cast very deep shade . In a yard setting they develop very nicely and broad . Unfortunately there is a canker now, that may eliminate them .

[patriciakavanaugh]

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Beech is Beechnut gum, love that stuff! lol