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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Deborah Cole in Berlin

Berlin’s ancient ‘Dicke Marie’ oak feels effects of prolonged dry spell

The Dicke Marie oak tree.
The English oak named ‘Dicke Marie’ (Fat Marie), located in the Tegel Forest, is estimated to be 500-600 years old. Photograph: Ullstein Bild/Getty Images

An ancient English oak believed to be Berlin’s oldest tree is suffering the effects of a prolonged dry spell in the German capital, local authorities have said, compounding already significant damage to its once lush canopy and branches.

“Dicke Marie” (Fat Marie), as Berliners affectionately call the tree located in the northern Tegel Forest, has been deprived of essential moisture in recent years as a result of extended periods of sparse rainfall blamed on the climate crisis, according to natural resource officials.

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