Haya de Herguijuela

The Haya de Herguijuela is one of the southernmost specimens of the European beech . Further south there is only another similar tree in the province of Cáceres and a grove at the foot of Mount Etna in Sicily .

The colossal tree on the mountain slopes of the Sierra de Gata in the southeast of the province of Salamanca stands approximately 1 km northwest of the city of Herguijuela de la Sierra in Spain . The beech is regarded as a relic of the earlier, more oceanic (Atlantic) climate in the western Sistema Central .

The European beech is said to have been widespread in the province of Salamanca . This is assumed based on the herbal vegetation in the area, which is characteristic of beech forests. Due to the fact that beeches make excellent charcoal, all of the forests in the area have been destroyed since the beginning of the 20th century and the industrial age , with the exception of only two. The severe deforestation of these and other species in western central Spain has negative consequences for the local climate. Rising temperatures and lower rainfall in the region are also attributed to this cause.

reference

• Juan Andrés Oria de Rueda Salgueiro, Justino Díez: Guía de Árboles y Arbustos de Castilla y León . Cálamo, 2008. ISBN 8496932141

Coordinates: 40 ° 27 '2.8 "  N , 6 ° 4' 45.2"  W.