Fagus orientalis tree's natural range extends from southeastern Bulgaria's Strandja mountain, through northwest Turkey, and east to the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia and Russia, to the Alborz Mountains in Iran. Its habitat is restricted to mountain forests, at of altitude. The Oriental beech has colonized even lower altitudes in the Strandja mountain of Bulgaria as low as above sea-level, due to the unique local micro-climate, where it forms typical "Fagus orientalis"−"Rhododendron ponticum" forests as well as with other evergreen shrubs. The wood of "Fagus orientalis" is heavy, hard, strong and highly resistant to shock. These features makes it suitable for steam bending.
Stigmella hemargyrella Stigmella hemargyrella Stigmella hemargyrella is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is found in most of Europe, except Iceland, Norway, Finland, Portugal and most of the Baltic region. The moths (imago) are bivoltine flying from April to May and again from July to August and can be found resting on trunks. The wingspan is 5–6 mm. The egg can be laid on either side of the leaf and the pale yellowish-white larva feed, within a mine on "Fagus sylvatica" and "Fagus sylvatica orientalis". The mine is a sinuous gallery and at the early state is relatively narrow with a