A three-hundred-year-old oak tree may be cut down due to road renovation in Klecza Górna

156 trees are to be cut down in connection with the modernization of county road 1731K, connecting Klecza Górna with Stryszów in Wadowice County. One of them is an old oak, almost growing into the existing, cracked roadway.

Although the renovation itself does not raise any objections from local residents, the plan to cut down the English oak tree does. Among those fighting to save the plant is Mr. Marek, whose plot borders the impressive tree. We received information about this on Contact 24.

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– It has always been said that this is a historic tree. Its circumference at the ground level is 670 centimetres, and at a height of one metre it is between 518 and 530 cm. For this reason, we can suspect that this oak is around 320-350 years old – Mr Marek told us.

This size qualifies English oaks as a natural monument. However, in order to include them in this form of protection, the relevant resolution must be passed by the municipal council. In this case, this did not happen – the oak, although old, lush and probably healthy, is not protected.

– In the winter there was a village meeting during which we heard that this tree would be cut down. But hope dies last, that's why I'm still fighting for it. This tree is one hundred percent healthy, there's not even a single dead branch – added Mr. Marek. – I've lived next to this tree since I was a child. There's a bit of work to it, acorns are falling, but it doesn't bother me. It can be passed on to the next generations – emphasized the resident.

Mrs. Aleksandra from Kraków is helping in the efforts to save the oak. – How exceptional this tree is is evidenced by the fact that in the Wadowice district there are only two oaks – monuments of nature larger than this oak, and in the entire Małopolska province there are 115 – emphasized the woman.

In her interview with tvn24.pl, Ms. Aleksandra also noted that the tree had recently been found to contain a protected fungus called Grifola foliosa. The destruction of such a habitat requires the consent of the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection.

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Piotr Lempart, head of the Department of County Roads in Wadowice, informed tvn24.pl that the severely damaged county road is to be expanded over a length of about two kilometers. He assured that officials will try to listen to the residents' objections and save the oak.

– The Wadowice district commissioned an expert opinion from a dendrologist on the possibility of leaving this tree during the implementation of the investment. An agreement has been concluded with the contractor – Lempart said. The dendrologist will look into, among other things, the issue of the fungus growing on the oak. – When the environmental decision was being prepared, there was no mention of it. The information appeared only after the decision was issued – stated the head of the department.

If it is confirmed that it is a leaf-tailed grifoil, the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Kraków will have to issue a permit for the potential felling of the tree. We have contacted RDOŚ with questions, but have not received a response by the time of publication of this article.

If the oak tree that the residents are fighting for remains in place, the road in that location will be redesigned. Its reconstruction has already started, and some of the trees – out of 156 that are to be axed in total – have already been cut down. For each of them, the contractor will have to plant new ones.

The investment will cost approximately PLN 10 million and is scheduled for completion in July 2025.

Paweł Stopa, the village head of Klecza Górna, would also like to see the oak preserved. He emphasized that he does not want the impressive tree to share the fate of another, even older oak, which until recently grew in the local parish.

It concerns a pedunculate oak, the circumference of which – as we read in the Central Register of Forms of Nature Protection – was 521 centimetres. The tree was 25 metres high and grew opposite the entrance to the church, between the wheelchair ramp and the fence. According to the village head, it was cut down in the spring of this year. – I defended this tree for almost 10 years. At some point it was transferred to the parish, a new priest came and eliminated the oak. Only the stump remained – village head Stopa told us.

The parish priest of St. Lawrence the Martyr in Klecza Górna, Father Tadeusz Dąbrowski, in an interview with tvn24.pl, emphasized that the tree was no longer a natural monument.

– At some point, due to disease, the tree partially broke and damaged the fence. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Then, in-depth tests were carried out and it turned out that the oak was so sick that it had to be cut down – explained the parish priest. The broken branch and the damaged fence can be seen in archival photos from June 2023.

Małgorzata Targosz-Storch from the City Hall in Wadowice, in response to questions from tvn24.pl, confirmed that the branch broke off “as a result of sudden atmospheric changes from May 23 to 24, 2023”.

“Following the inspection, a dendrological assessment was ordered to determine the health condition, along with an examination of the inside of the trunk using a sonic tomograph. The assessment was performed by a certified tree inspector,” Targosz-Storch said.

Even though the tree had been damaged for a long time, it could only be cut down after its status as a natural monument was revoked. This was due to a resolution of the municipal council, which was agreed by the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection. In October 2023, at the request of the parish, officials issued a permit to cut down the oak, which is no longer a natural monument.