Location: West of paved path in front of Old Main, Penn State
Size: Circumference: 8’4″ Height: 75′ Spread: 70′ Points: 193
Added: 3 /9 /92, Notable Trees Committee
American beech is one of the most distinctive and common trees of the hardwood forest. It is a lovely shade tree with smooth, gray bark and long, lance-shaped buds. The root system is shallow, and root suckering is extensive. Old trees are often surrounded by thickets of root sprouts, a food source for white-tailed deer. The fruit of the beech is a “bur” enclosed in a prickly husk. In the fall, the husk opens and two or three edible nuts, a favorite food of squirrels, are released.
Other notable American beeches in Centre County:
1. Blue Springs Hollow Gap, Taylor Township. Points: 195
2. Blue Springs Hollow Gap, Taylor Township. Points: 123
3. Halehurst woodlot, Philipsburg. Points: 218
- Only beech tree native to North America. Native to Eastern North America.
- Grows to be 50-80 feet normally, can get up to 120ft
- Latin name is Fagus grandifolia