Head beech near Gremsheim
The so-called head beech near Gremsheim am Heber , north of Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony , is considered to be the largest existing Süntel beech . With a tree height of 14 meters and a crown diameter of 24 meters, it surpasses all other specimens of this red beech variation , especially with its enormous trunk circumference of 6 meters .
description
The name head beech is based on the erroneous assumption that in earlier times the tree was regularly pruned ("beheaded") like a pollarded willow and therefore showed stunted growth.
The natural monument with the identification ND NOM 235 Gremsheim is about 100 meters from the edge of the forest on private arable land, from whose regular fertilization the tree has benefited for decades. The average annual increase in its trunk diameter is 9.6 millimeters.
history
Until 1876 there was a small population of just under ten Süntel beeches on the western edge of the Heber . When the arable and forest areas were redistributed in the course of the coupling , the trees that were not usable due to their crookedness were felled down to the present natural monument. It is not known whether this group of trees was a natural occurrence or a plantation. The chronicles of the 1000 year old village of Gremsheim and its neighboring villages Mechtshausen and Altgandersheim do not provide any information about this.
In 1930 Pastor Bechler from Altgandersheim published an illustrated report in a Braunschweig Heimatschutz magazine. He estimated the age of the tree to be 300 to 400 years and reported that the trunk, which was hollowed out by insects, had been rehabilitated.
In 1993, ten meters from the old tree, a young southern beech was planted to replace the old head beech. The old tree was extensively renovated in 2001 and provided with a crown protection. After a closer examination, it was found to be 205 years old. The assumption that the trunk, which has already been split, consists of two trees, has been refuted.
Since a star broke out in the fall of 2004, there has been a 25 square meter hole on the north side of the tent-like treetop. In addition, in June 2006, a considerable part of the main crown broke away above the main trunk going to the southwest. However, there is no need to fear a quick and final decay of the unique natural monument, as the death of an old beech tree can take decades. Today, grafted beeches are almost exclusively replanted. The Gremsheimer "Kopfbuche", the " Tilly-Buche " on the Süntel and the "Kanzelbuche" on the Stromberg are the last large non-rooted specimens of this species.
See also
literature
- Bechler: The head or cover beech at Gremsheim. In: Braunschweigische Heimat. Issue 4, 21st year, 1930
- Franz Gruber: The 'Devil's Beech' from Gremsheim. In: Land & Forst, issue 25, 2002
Web links
- Head beech Gremsheim. In: www.bad-gandersheim.de. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- Mention under Süntelbuchen
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bechler: The head or cover beech at Gremsheim. In: Braunschweigische Heimat. Issue 4, 21st year, 1930
- ^ Franz Gruber: The 'Devil's Beech' from Gremsheim. In: Land & Forst, issue 25, 2002
Coordinates: 51 ° 54 ′ 16 ″ N , 10 ° 4 ′ 52 ″ E