Beech gaps consist of high mountain gaps that have been monopolized by beech trees. Common species of tree include oak, ash, sycamore, alder, blackthorn, hawthorn, beech and birch. The lower altitudes are populated by oak, hickory, birch, beech and maple. The most common trees are oak, beech, pines and firs. The trees within the forests are primarily made up of fir, oak, beech and pine. It is characterized by forests of leafy deciduous trees such as oak and European beech. Out of the deciduous species of trees, beech, oak, and hornbeam dominate. In the highlands oaks, beech and pine are grown. These are generally mixed forests of oak and beech. American beech, pine and hickory can also be found. The pigment bistre was made from beech wood soot. In the uplands, a mixture of beech and spruce would be natural. Evergreens such as the giant kauri and southern beech dominate the forests. Vegetation is more luxuriant, consisting principally of southern beech and conifers. Nearby Burnham Beeches is a forest named after the beech genus.