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Forest Botanical Garden of the HNE Eberswalde: Tree of the Year 2025 is the Red Oak

To mark the honouring of the red oak(Quercus rubra) as Tree of the Year 2025, representatives of the WaldWelten Foundation and the city of Eberswalde traditionally planted a specimen of this tree species in the Forest Botanical Garden of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development on Arbor Day.

Tree of the Year 2025
From left to right: Anne Fellner, Head of Building and Deputy Mayor, Member of the Board, Stiftung WaldWelten; Prof. Dr Katharina Stein, Chairwoman of the Board, Stiftung WaldWelten; Maik Berendt, Head of Administration, City of Eberswalde; Prof. Dr habil. Ralf Kätzel, Head of the Forest Ecology & Monitoring Department, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Stiftung WaldWelten; Dr Bernhard Götz, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Stiftung WaldWelten

Originating from North America, the red oak came to Germany at the beginning of the 18th century as a park and avenue tree. Appreciated for its striking leaf shape and bright red autumn colours, an impressive red oak avenue in Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße in Eberswalde accompanies passers-by on their way to Forßmann Hospital. The red oak has also found its way into the forest. It is faster-growing and more shade-tolerant than our native oak species. Due to its tolerance to drought, it is regarded as an advantageous species in a climate-resilient forest of the future. Its resistance to pests also makes it attractive from a Forestry perspective. However, this inadequate integration into the native ecosystem is a disadvantage from a nature conservation perspective. Its acidic foliage, which is difficult to decompose, is viewed in a similarly different way. The thick, tannin-rich leaves are not very attractive to soil organisms such as earthworms, fungi and microbes, as well as insects. Many native plant species germinate and grow less well as a result. However, the lack of vegetation slows down any fire that may spread, which is why the American red oak can serve as a firebreak, among other things.

All those present agreed that the red oak is a tree species with a strong character and future potential whose development must continue to be critically monitored, not least from an ecological point of view. Today's planting sends out a signal - for the protection, diversity and understanding of our forests in the course of time.

 

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The photos available here may be used for reporting purposes. Please note the copyright notice © Stiftung WaldWelten / Gabriela Adamski