This island, between Plek parking and Dubois at Groenendaal, is almost a world in itself. Like Hispaniola, parts are doing well and others…
Take this Oak. It is in a poor state, so much so that I am reluctant to call it Pedunculate or Sessile. The lichen on the northern side causes no damage, the crown, such as it is, is sparse. There are dead twigs aplenty, little jagged spurs on thin branches.
What may have caused this?
In the Forest we are urged to stay on the paths: to wander off-piste in search of fungi or to pose amongst bluebells, for example, is forbidden. One reason for this is compaction of the fragile Sonian soil, and it is this which plant life finds hard to tolerate. Compaction affects how water can filter through and reduces the oxygen supply.
And this, I think, is what this Oak is suffering from. Its fine absorbing roots spread outwards, close to the surface, not down, and the compacted parking allows little to reach them. Within the island there is stiff competition and the Oak is weak.