Secular Oak from Mercheasa - The Old Carpathians

Above the village of Mercheașa, which belongs to the commune of Homorod in Brașov County, on the pasture with ancient oak trees, about 1.7 km east–northeast of the village, stands the Mercheașa Oak, also known as “The Old Man of the Carpathians,” as we have named it.

Its GPS coordinates are 25º 21' 49.191" E longitude and 46º 03' 59.047" N latitude. The tree species is Quercus robur(English oak), and it has the following botanical characteristics:

• Age: approximately 900 years

• Circumference (measured at 1.3 m above ground): 9.3 meters

• Height: 21.3 meters, with an almost complete, beautifully rounded crown

• Up to about 3 meters above the ground, it shows five stumps, traces of branches that broke over its long life

• It shows no signs of harmful insect activity

• At the lower part of the trunk, there are four areas of superficial bark burns, likely the result of fires made by shepherds tending their cattle

The oak was declared a protected natural area by Decision no. 18 of February 22, 2012.
The scientific study supporting the declaration of the “Mercheașa Ancient Oak – The Old Man of the Carpathians”as a Natural Monument was carried out by the Carpaterra Association in collaboration with ICAS Brașov (Forest Research and Management Institute).

Following its designation as a protected area, the Carpaterra Association, together with the Homorod Town Hall, became the permanent guardians of the tree.