The Beech (Fagus Sylvatica)

The Beech occupies an enormous territory across Europe: 12 million hectares.  France is amongst the top 3 countries in the EU in terms of forest coverage.  Each year, the French forest grows by more than 30,000 hectares (deciduous and coniferous). 

In France the Beech boards represents 10% of the production from wooded areas.  The temperate and relatively rainy marine climate is the perfect environment in which the Beech flourishes.  Beech also thrives both in limesoil and acid soil; all it requires is a sufficient - but not excessive - amount of water. 

In the forest the trees are incredibly straight and smooth grey trunked Beech can sometimes reach a height of 40 metres, which gives them their name "the cathedral forest" (certain trees are up to 250 years old).  In the composite forest, massive but slightly smaller trunks protect a lush and well-balanced foliage. 

Beech wood, which turns from white to a reddish colour, is highly absorbent and can be tainted, painted, turned and bent easily.  The Beech heart is often red in colour. 

	Consuming wood helps in the fight against the greenhouse effect When they are young and growing, trees absorb more carbon dioxide than trees that have been standing longer.  An ecological material 'par excellence', wood continues to store this gas.  A house built with 20m3 of wood neutralises 20 tons of carbon dioxide!  (extract from the 2005 advertising campaign organised by the CNDB (National Wood Development Committee))  Supplementary information can be found at www.bois.com