Beech Mast (Illustration by Will Drew)

Beech Mast is the fruit of the beech tree and in the abundant ‘Mast’ years the trees produce literally millions of small, edible triangular nuts.  These nuts are produced in threes in hard scaly husks which eventually split, throwing the nuts to the Forest floor where their brown colouring makes them difficult for human eyes to see. They provide a nutritious and essential food source for many birds and small mammals just before the onset of winter.