Beech the beech tree has such delicate bark, carvings, such as lovers' initials and other forms of graffiti, remain because the tree is unable to heal itself. Beech bark disease is a fungal infection that attacks the American beech through damage caused by scale insects. Infection can lead to the death of the tree. Beech was a late entrant to Great Britain after the last glaciation, and may have been restricted to basic soils in the south of England. Some suggest that it was introduced by Neolithic tribes who planted the trees for their edible nuts. The beech is classified as
The Weeping Beech had grown to a spread of 85’ and a height of 65’. The girth of the trunk was 14’ and that year it was designated a living landmark. Parsons, of namesake nearby Parsons Blvd, supplied most of the original trees and shrubs in Manhattans Central Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. By 1998 the tree had been in decline for 30 years and had suffered injections of fertilizer to prolong its 151-year life, but to no avail. It was taken down in 1999 and its progeny, seven of which are in the tree grove at Weeping Beech Park, are all