～The Beech Tree: Blessings of the Beech Forest～
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Nurtured by heavy snowfall, beech forests store vast amounts of meltwater and act as a natural "green dam," protecting people's livelihoods.
A beech forest is not sustained by beech trees alone. It is kept alive by a variety of forest creatures—from earthworms, millipedes, and the larvae of beetles and moths, to fungi such as mushrooms, small animals like mice and birds, and larger mammals like the Japanese serow. Through their daily activities, these organisms create fertile soil, and their interconnected lives allow the forest to thrive continuously.
For instance, young beech leaves and flowers are the perfect food for caterpillars. Birds eat these highly nutritious, protein-rich caterpillars to raise their chicks. In return, the birds help disperse beech seeds far and wide. This beautifully illustrates how everything in the forest is interconnected to sustain the ecosystem.
Snow Depth Indicators
Beech trees thrive in high humidity, which allows moss to grow on their trunks. However, as the heavy winter snow accumulates and eventually melts, the settlement of the snow strips the moss away. Therefore, the height where moss grows serves as a visual indicator of how high the snow piled up that winter.
"Ne-ake": The Spring Thaw Rings
When spring arrives, the snow around the base of the beech trees melts faster, creating ring-shaped hollows. This happens because the tree trunks absorb heat from the sun and melt the surrounding snow. These rings are a classic landscape feature that signals the arrival of spring.
Beech Flowers
In May, alongside the fresh leaves, small, pale-yellow flowers resembling tiny paper lanterns bloom from the base of the young leaves. Pollen from the male flowers is carried by the wind to reach the female flowers for pollination.
Beech Nuts
The nuts are enclosed in a spiky outer shell. Every 6 to 8 years, the trees produce a massive bumper crop. It is said that they purposefully have years with little to no nuts to keep animal and insect populations in check. Then, they produce more nuts than the animals could possibly consume so that the animals don't eat all the seeds. Though small, these nuts taste delicious and can be eaten raw.
