AT A GLANCE
Which is better, birch or beech?
The large beech is only suitable for large gardens, while the smaller birch also fits in a small garden. For parquet, stair construction and furniture making is the hardwood beechmore suitable, Birch wood for carvings. Both types of wood are firewood popular.
What properties do the two woods have?
Beech (Fagus), here the beech species common beech
- white-grey to pale yellow in color, sometimes reddish
- fine-pored, with irregular rays
- distinct annual rings
- good load-bearing capacity, not very elastic
- not weatherproof
- tears easily when drying
- susceptible to insect and fungal attack
- white to pale reddish in color
- darkens significantly over time
- Hardly recognizable pores, easily recognizable medullary rays
- special look due to the irregular fiber flow
- not very sustainable
- tough-elastic, very flexible
- can be edited well
- does not tolerate moisture
Which tree is better for the environment, birch or beech?
It is generally accepted that the beech with its properties should be considered ecologically valuable. But so is the birch. Many bird species are dependent on them, even having “birch” in their name, such as the black grouse and redpoll. It is also a habitat for mosses, fungi and lichens. Caterpillars of 118 species of butterflies use the slopes and downy birch for food. Who can make the decision as to which of the two tree species is ecologically more valuable?
Both have their value and her place!also read
Which wood is better suited for outdoor use?
Both birch and beech wood are not particularly weather-resistant. It is therefore from the use discouraged outdoors. The wood from is suitable for this, for example larches and Douglas firs.
Tip
Water beech and birch trees during particularly dry periods
As shallow roots Birch trees are particularly sensitive to dry summers, which climate change is increasingly giving us. For a long time, the beech was not considered endangered, which is increasingly proving to be a mistake. If you have specimens of these tree species in the garden, water them carefully during dry periods to keep them healthy.
