Guardian of the field
The guardian of the field is one of the few ancient oak veterans in Bavaria and is protected as a natural monument . The pedunculate oak stands in the middle of the meadows and fields near Nedensdorf near Bad Staffelstein in Upper Franconia .
description
The tree now consists only of a cylindrical shaft, which was completely green again and again until 2012. Since the trunk is completely hollow, it was cut again in April 2008 on behalf of the higher nature conservation authority of the government of Upper Franconia so that it does not break apart under the weight of the crown.
The age of the tree is estimated to be over a thousand years. In 2011 the trunk had a chest height circumference of 6.14 meters at a height of 130 cm above the ground . The oak stands right next to the road to Nedensdorf , about 500 meters south of the junction of the local road from Gleußen to Bad Staffelstein . From a distance the outline resembles that of a pollarded willow , but in fact it is a pedunculate oak. The oak is also called the "shaving brush tree" because the corresponding shape was created after the crown was trimmed. The dimensions of the tree only become visible up close.
The tree is registered as a natural monument. Part of the crown has died in 2013 because the tree suffered from a fungal disease the year before. Since then, the decline has visibly advanced. Since 2018 and 2019, the tree has also suffered from the extreme heat and drought. In addition, the sign "Natural Monument" was attached to the trunk in 2019.
In the movie Luther , the tree veteran can be seen in the first scene. The young Martin Luther seeks protection under him during a thunderstorm. The Bavarian radio , the regional television broadcaster TV Oberfranken and also the daily newspaper Fränkischer Tag reported on the natural monument.
The tree was used as the cover picture of the tree protection book Beyond the Day - Living with Trees . The Coburg photographer Horst Jürgen Schunk began to photograph the tree before 1980. There is also a postcard of the tree monument. The Bavarian Television produced and showed in February 2015 small film portrait of this tree. This small film contribution was repeated in 2016 and 2017.
literature
- Horst Jürgen Schunk: Beyond the day. “Living with trees.” Experienced, hopeful, terrifying things from the work of voluntary tree protection using the example of Coburg, its surroundings and beyond. Veste-Verlag Roßteutscher, Coburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-925431-32-6 .
- Horst Schunk: Shaving brush tree: The end of the 1000 year old oak is approaching. In: TASPO BaumZeitung Volume 47, 4/2013, p. 7.
Web links
- arboristik.de - A long tree life comes to an end (with a picture of the current state)
See also
References
- ↑ Guardian of the Field - 1000 Years of Pedunculate Oak Bad Staffelstein . February 10, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2015.
Coordinates: 50 ° 7 ′ 19 ″ N , 10 ° 57 ′ 41.4 ″ E