The Dunin Oak (Poland) has just been proclaimed winner of the contest 'European Tree of the Year 2022', with a historical record of 179,317 votes!
A) Yes, the thousand-year-old holm oak of Lecina, 'European Tree of the Year 2021' passes the baton to the Polish tree, guardian of the Białowieża primeval forest.
In second position, and with very little difference in votes (168,234) was the Conxo's Banquet Forest Oak, a spanish oak that we can find in a natural area near Santiago de Compostela.
The bronze medal has been for another oak, this time Portuguese: the Gran Alcornoque, which has received 70,563 votes.
The 2022 edition of the European contest 'Tree of the Year' collected a total of 769,212 votes –compared to 604,544 last year–, since the campaigns that were carried out at the national level aroused a lot of interest among nature lovers.
Dunin oak (Poland).
THE AWARDS CEREMONY
In 2021, and due to the pandemic, the results of the contest were announced online but fortunately, this year it has been possible to celebrate an award ceremony in person.
The ceremony has taken place this Tuesday March 22 in Brussels and has brought together the organizers of the national contests, the nominating communities, as well as various tree friends and supporters. Also, The event has been broadcast on social media so that no one misses a detail.
“We promise that we will work hard to make our cities greener again and to keep our landscapes healthy and resilient to climate change. With the help of local communities it is doable!” said the organizer of the contest, Josef Jary (Environmental Partnership Association).
the contest European Tree of the Year (ETY) was organized by the Environmental Partnership Association in collaboration with the European Land Owners Organization and with the participation of MEPs Ludek Niedermayer and Michal Wiezik.
Carballo from the Conxo Banquet Forest, Santiago de Compostela.
THE DUNIN OAK
“The essence of this contest is not only to highlight the importance of the role of trees in our ecosystem, but find a tree with a story.
This year, the winner could not be more successful: the guardian of the primeval forest of Białowieża, one of the best preserved forest ecosystems and the last deciduous and mixed lowland forest in Europe” said Michal Wiezik MEP.
Dunin oak (Poland).
The Dunin Oak is 400 years old and grows on the edge of the primeval forest of Białowieża (Poland), in what is known as the “European Wisent Region” (wisent means bison in English).
This deciduous tree surprises in all seasons of the year, either in spring when it wears its best clothes or when it shows its mysteriously curved leafless branches.
Dunin Oak became symbol of the resistance of the Polish people to all kinds of threats, such as building a concrete wall around the Białowieża Forest.
Dunin oak (Poland).
15 TREES TO RAISE ALL AWARENESS
After the top three in the ranking –Roble Dunin (Poland), Carballo del Bosque del Banquete de Conxo (Spain) and Gran Alcornoque (Portugal)–, fourth place went to the Chestnut Tree of a Hundred Horses (Italy) with 46,275 votes, followed in fifth position by the Umbrella of High Tatras (Slovakia) with 37,872 votes.
From 6 to 10 we find: the Kippford Leaning Tree in the UK (6th), the Singing Linden in the Czech Republic (7th), the Place Audran Multisecular Chestnut in France (8th), the Long-lived Great Oak in Latvia (9th) and the Japanese hanging pair of acacias of the Csokonai Theater in Debrecen, Hungary (10th).
They complete the list: the Giant Sequoia of Slatina in Croatia (11th), the Giant Sequoia of Notre Dame de Bonlieu College in Belgium (12th), the King Pine in Estonia (13th), Grandfather Kolyo's tree in Bulgaria (14th) and Soy Tilia in Netherlands (15th).
The Great Cork Oak (Portugal).