The Oak Tree

The many ancient oak trees are one of Royal Djurgarden's most distinctive features.  The oak tree thrives on deep fertile soil, but it can als survive in rocky terrain.  Today, the best soil conditions are generally reserved for farming.  In woodland areas the oak is able to reproduce easily, but tends to be crowded out by species that do not require as much light.

The oak requires light to mature and grow thick and old, which is why ancient oak trees are found in environments where the landscape has been kept open. Oak and man have coexisted for centuries.  The oak was favoured early on due to its acorns.  In the 16th century, as the power structure of Sweden grew centralised, oak trees became the property of the state due to their importance in shipbuilding and tanning.  This remained the case until the mid 19th century.  Since oak trees regarded to inhibit the growth of forage grasses, and the general public was no longer allowed to make use of their bark and
timber, oak populations decreased on public lands. Larger landowners regarded the oak as a high -status feature, and they could more easily accommodate a reduction in hay yields.  The navy's need for oak wood was mainly filled by the countries in the south as well as the German provinces - very little was taken from Djurgarden.

In the old days, there generally weren't many trees near cities and mining districts.  By contrast the land protected  and owned by the Crown had denser woodlands, even though they were not as dense as they are today.  The grazing of farm animals and game made re-generation difficult.  If we could go back in time to the 18th century, we would probably think the woods within Djurgarden weren't very dense at all.  This is evident from several of the ancient oaks as well:  the branch scars far down on their trunks indicate that they had good access to light.  In addition to its beauty, an oak in a sunny pasture is host to many endangered species.