The Mighty Oak V's The Beautiful beech

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I love me oak trees and generally they do command your respect,but beech for me. I'v always said if i win lottery, house I buy'll have a mature beech tree in lawn, and if poss, running water and electric. If oaks king, then the beech is definitely queen.

 

well said and put, especialy as I named a VERY large beech the "queen of whippendell" on the atf hunt.

 

I would even now you say it say that the Oak is a more masculine tree, and the beech more feminine.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

In the interests of confirming my own theories on Biodiversity surrounding the two most awsome of our natives i have come across this intersting little statistic.

 

for the number of fungal species associated with the two genus

 

Fagus-2261

Quercus-2252

 

now all i have to do is find a similar record analysis for entomology

[David Humphries]

Very interesting stat Tony.

 

Where's that from?

 

Intrigued.

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Its from the Fungal records database david, im joining up with the association of british fungi groups at a mere £20 per annum some useful links and info found through it thus far.

 

Have you sorted your BMS membership yet?

[David Humphries]

Its from the Fungal records database david, im joining up with the association of british fungi groups at a mere £20 per annum some useful links and info found through it thus far.

 

Have you sorted your BMS membership yet?

 

Ta Tony, hadn't seen that as yet.

 

 

BMS sent in a week or so ago, waiting on reply.

 

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I came across these two images whilst organising files for the decay thread, thought they really out to be here.

 

 

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

This image illustrates all that is great in atlantic oak woodland, this Epiphyte community is living upon a sessile oak limb within Holnicote woods somerset. I wish I could travel back and see these habitats before the industrial revolution. these places are far and few between now.

 

I can understand a lack of willingness to accept the ecological significance of beech V's oak its easy to see why this view is well established.....

 

But I'm a long way from done with this subject...

 

[sean freeman]

That is a beautiful picture...thanks for posting it.

[Rope and Harness]

I like both trees. But Oak has my vote, Nothing better than a mature English oak full of natural balances of nature where our native creatures feed off the species not that they wouldnt do the same with a Beech.

 

That reminds me i have to fell a Beech for the local landowner where he is giving me some land in return (Rent free) to keep rare pigs. Well they did start in woodlands didnt they?

[Bundle 2]

I think if you actualy dig a little deeper youll find that soil flora and general diversity in an old beech forest is not THAT far behind.

 

To have one without the other would be a sin, they go together like eggs and bacon.

 

planted en mass together the beech will nurse the oaks and reach maturity and fail sooner than the oaks kick starting the ecological chain of decay and renewal, providing fodder and homes to a great diversity of life that would have to wait another 100 years or so otherwise.

 

I wonder if this kind of number bashing has simply not been done as the two species overlap in the way you describe Tony.....

I do know insect species counts have been compiled for the various tree species in the uk....

Quercus spp- 284

Beech - 64

 

Perhaps it is a case of repeating the numbers without stipulating the parameters and extent of the survey?

 

 

Edit: refers to posting on Pg3 Sorry for any confusion...Im a bit behind on my thread attendance huh!

Edited December 6, 2010 by Bundle 2
stop making sense!