Unlike most other hardwood trees, the American beech retains this smooth bark throughout its “mature” years. The American beech can live for three hundred to four hundred years and can reach heights of eighty feet and diameters in excess of three feet.

How long do beech trees live for?

Beech may live for 350 years (if managed as a pollard), although 250 may be more typical on many sites. On upland sites and as pollards beech may be 400 years old. Beech are ancient from 225 years onwards, although many have ancient characteristics from around 175 years.

Where is the oldest beech tree?

In the beech of Val Cervara, situated between 1600 and 1850 meters, there are exceptional specimens that reach even 560 years, not only are the oldest beech trees in Europe but also the oldest in the whole northern hemisphere .