Chrobry Oak grows in the area administered by the Szprotawa Forest District, near the village of Piotrowice. “It is estimated that it began germinating around 1250. Oaks are famous for being able to survive a great deal. However, Chrobry experienced even more: in addition to surviving many wars, it suffered a fire. The reprehensible incident inflicted on the tree by a human took place almost six years ago. It is not known who started the fire or why, as no motive for this act can be found,” says Michalina Biernat of the Szprotawa Forest District.
And she adds:
Since then, foresters, children from preschools and schools, and many adult tourists have cheered the tree on, hoping that it would survive and overcome the damage it suffered as a result of the fire.
The fire of November 2014
The fire, started inside the rotten, hollow lower part of the trunk, spread very quickly throughout the entire tree. “Chrobry burned like a torch,” M. Biernat notes. “Despite the swift and professional firefighting operation, both the outer surface of the trunk and its central part were scorched.
The oak suffered greatly. Initially, it produced leaves on one-quarter of its branches. The rest was destroyed in the fire.
After the fire
The Szprotawa Forest District undertook a number of measures, especially during periods of drought, to improve Chrobry’s condition.
The present
Unfortunately, this year one of Poland’s oldest oaks—for the first time in more than 750 years!—did not produce leaves. This means that it has died. (However, it will not be cut down).
Fortunately, however, thanks to the efforts of foresters, including the collection of cut shoots and their vegetative propagation, it was possible to grow descendants of Chrobry. The Forest District states:
In 2019, Szprotawa’s foresters planted six descendants of Chrobry Oak in the shadow of the natural monument known throughout Poland. We are certain that our subsequent generations will preserve the memory of this magnificent tree.