The Thousand Years Old Oaks of Ivenack
The oaks of Ivenack present an exceptional feature of cultural and natural history not encountered once more anywhere else in Germany. They are not remnants of primeval forest but evidence of the wide-spread way the land was made use of as "Hudewald" (Huetewald), i.e. as pasturage, throughout the Middle Ages, which have survived in the deer park of Ivenack throughout centuries until present time.
At the end of the first millennium A.D. when these oaks had shot this area was already used by a Slavonic tribe named Wilzen. Forest pasturages had been usual practice. Pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses were driven into sparse forests to eat their fill there. The forests became sparse because of the grazing livestock bit off the young shoots thus allowing groth of only a few beeches and oaks with wide treetops the beechnuts und acorns of which gave additional food for it.
Grazing livestock remained in the forest throughout a long time. Only its owners changed. Whereas Slavonic settlers were the first owners who had driven their livestock into the forest, so it were herdsmen of the monastery of the Cistercian Order in Ivenack who drove the livestock into the forest after 750 years. After the Reformation (in 1555) the oaks of Ivenack became proberty of the ducal authority in Ivenack. The deer park of Iveack was then founded in 1709 and existed until the world economic crisis 1929.
Fallow deer kept in preserve took over the role of grazing livestock then. Fallow deer has been kept in Ivenack since the end of the 17th century. After the deer preserve had been cancelled in 1929, young trees could suddenly grow up and the character of a "Hudewald" got lost at last. In 1972 development of a new deer park with a preserve of smaller size was started up which was restocked with fallow deer. The old oaks were given space for growth by careful removal of growing young trees.
The largest oak has a diameter of 3.49 meters (at chest height) and a height of 35.5 meters. That corresponds to a volume of wood of approximately 180 cubic meters. It is impossible to determine the age of that oak in direct way. But following the results of measurement of the annual rings, an age of 1.000 years can be estimated to be sure. That oak is thus the largest and oldest living oak in Germany. The other old oaks in Ivenack reach a diameter of 1.85 to 2.83 meters and heights of 15 to 31 meters.
Application of artificial means and measures such as tree surgery or brick lining of the oaks in the course of care and preservation are principally beyond for the forestry office Stavenhagen. Rather the natural conditions of the "Hudewald" under which the oaks achieved such age are preserved to a large extent. A simple barrier around the oaks shall help to avoid development of places of soil solidification in the root area as well as direct damage caused by walking visitors.