Pollarded hornbeam forest near Gieboldehausen

The head hornbeam forest near Gieboldehausen is a special historic cultural monument. This 8-hectare piece of forest dates from the time of coppice farming. Many of the more than 1800 hornbeams are over 100 years old.
The gnarled head beeches are the ideal habitat for many animals.

In the last century, firewood has become less and less important. The use of the stock has therefore been almost completely abandoned in recent decades.
In 1995, the Landscape Conservation Association of the Landkreis Göttingen e.V. campaigned for the preservation of the trees and leased the area on a long-term basis in order to protect it from the threatened conversion into a high beech forest. Together with the Realgemeinde of Gieboldehausen, the hornbeams are used again in the usual rotation for meter wood production for fuel purposes.

The head hornbeam forest dates from the time of the coppice economy. Back then, firewood was an important raw material. There was always a shortage of firewood, but also of grazing land for cattle. The solution was the use of head wood. The hornbeams were trimmed to a height of 2m so that cattle could graze under the trees without being able to bite the young shoots of the beeches. At the same time, there was enough firewood. The overgrown appearance was created by pruning the trees every 15-18 years.