Natural beech wood

Heavy forest floor coverage of other plants in the spring, shadowing the young beech-shoots, is a common cause.

Abundance of nutrient-rich soils will also be difficult to handle for beech woods in the long run.

Local or global climate changes can also have a profound effect on what kind of natural woodland can grow and survive in a specific area.

European beech is usually more susceptible to climatic changes than soil-composition and the current global climate change are found to affect the geographical distribution of natural beech wood habitats.

The term "semi-natural" is sometimes used to describe any natural woodland, that is not strictly primeval in origin.