A slow transformation

I spotted this tree trunk lying across a break in a woodbank acting as a hedge, where a footpath lead from the road into the wood. It had been a large tree with a diameter of at least three feet, but I have no idea which species it is. The presence of a beech branch above it may be an indicator. The colour of rotting trunk also matches the beech leaves' autumnal colour.

It was so interesting to see where the outer bark had already mostly rotted away, leaving the different wood of the interior of the trunk. The beech leaves are still attached to the branch hanging above the unrelated trunk. I remember learning many years ago that the lowest leaves of beech trees or hedges stay attached throughout the winter, usually up to a height of about eight feet from the ground. Check it out next time you see some.