the archive of the trees
beech
Planted 1935
Trunk circumference at coring height: 217cm.
Tree rings are confirmed back to the early 50s, as sometimes the corer couldn't reach the tree's centre. One of the interesting aspects of this art project is that trees still protect the secrets of their early lives.
The focus of the tree/human narrative is pollution.
Beech is a shade tolerant species, which withstands wind exposure and is cold hardy but is susceptible to frost damage when young. It can be found on mineral soils of poor to medium nutrient status including calcareous soils but does not tolerate compacted, waterlogged or very dry soils.
This specific tree is healthy, but had growth disturbances in 2013 (possibly a short summer), 1976 (a long hot summer) and 1962/3 (a cold winter). Its core reveal many pores, and its early wood (developed in spring and early summer) and late wood (grown at the end of the growing season) are generally quite well defined.