Haya de Herguijuela
Encyclopedia
The Haya de Herguijuela is one of the last relics of the former Atlantic climate
in the western Sistema Central
in Spain
. It is one of the most southern specimens of the European beech tree
, surpassed only by another similar tree in Cáceres province
and by a grove at the base of Mt. Etna in Sicily
. It is a colossal tree located on a mountainside of the Sierra de Gata
in southeastern Salamanca province about 1 km north-west of the town of Herguijuela de la Sierra
.
The European beech
used to be fairly common in southern Salamanca province evidenced by herbal vegetation in the area that is characteristic of beech forests. However, because beeches make excellent charcoal
, the entirety of the forests in the area was wiped out during the beginning of the 1900s and the Age of Industry, save only the two mentioned examples. Because of the heavy deforesting of this as well as other species in the western-central Spain, the trend has been for temperatures to be increasing and for yearly precipitation to be declining; presently, the Mediterranean climate
is well-established in the area.
It is located at 40°27'2.77"N 6° 4'45.19"W
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
in the western Sistema Central
Sistema Central
The Sistema Central is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula.-Description:The Sistema Central is a primary feature of the Meseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is one of the most southern specimens of the European beech tree
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
, surpassed only by another similar tree in Cáceres province
Cáceres (province)
The province of Cáceres is a province of western Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is bordered by the provinces of Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, and Badajoz, and by Portugal....
and by a grove at the base of Mt. Etna in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It is a colossal tree located on a mountainside of the Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata is a mountain range in the Sistema Central, Spain. The highest point is Peña Canchera .-Description:The Sierra de Gata is located in the northwest of the province of Cáceres, which is in the autonomous community of Extremadura...
in southeastern Salamanca province about 1 km north-west of the town of Herguijuela de la Sierra
Herguijuela de la Sierra
Herguijuela de la Sierra is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is located 86 kilometres from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a population of 299 people...
.
The European beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
used to be fairly common in southern Salamanca province evidenced by herbal vegetation in the area that is characteristic of beech forests. However, because beeches make excellent charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, the entirety of the forests in the area was wiped out during the beginning of the 1900s and the Age of Industry, save only the two mentioned examples. Because of the heavy deforesting of this as well as other species in the western-central Spain, the trend has been for temperatures to be increasing and for yearly precipitation to be declining; presently, the Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
is well-established in the area.
It is located at 40°27'2.77"N 6° 4'45.19"W
See also
- Salamanca province
- Cáceres provinceCáceres (province)The province of Cáceres is a province of western Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is bordered by the provinces of Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, and Badajoz, and by Portugal....
- European beechEuropean BeechFagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
- ClimateClimateClimate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...