Updated to: 03/22/2022. The 'European Tree of the Year 2022' is he Dunin Oak (Poland) , closely followed by Carballo del Bosque del Banquete de Conxo (Spain).
The prestigious title of 'European Tree of the Year' arrives for the first time in Spain: the thousand-year-old holm oak of Lecina has won the award, with an overwhelming victory: 104,264 votes!
After being named Singular Tree of Aragon and Tree of the Year in Spain , the thousand-year-old Lecina Holm oak proudly shows off a new recognition.
The silver medal has been for the ancient banana of Curinga, in Italy, with 78,210 votes and the bronze medal has gone to the ancient sycamore tree, in the Russian Federal Republic of Dagestan, with 66,026 votes.
The 2021 edition of the European contest 'Tree of the Year' collected a total of 604,544 votes –more than twice as much as last year!–, as a multitude of campaigns were carried out at the national level that reached thousands of people.
Due to the pandemic, the results have been announced online.
After the top three in the ranking –the thousand-year-old holm oak from Lecina (Spain), the banana from Curinga (Italy) and the ancient sycamore tree (Russian Federation)–, fourth place went to the Rossio banana (Portugal) with 37,410 votes, followed by the San Juan Nepomuceno linden (Poland) with 35,422 votes.
From 6 to 10 we have: the ancient Mother Tree in the Netherlands (6th), the apple tree near Lidmans in the Czech Republic (7th), the Judas tree on the hill of the Mélykút church in Hungary (8th), the Pouplie in France (9th), the oldest resident of Medulin in Croatia (10th).
They complete the list: the surviving tree in the UK (11th), the four-trunk survivor in Belgium (12th), the old Drnava oak in Slovakia (13th) and the old mulberry in Bulgaria (14th).
THE MILLENARY OAK OF LECINA
Located in Lecina-Barcabo, in the Aragonese province of Huesca, The thousand-year-old Lecina Holm oak has won the title of 'European Tree of the Year 2021', with a historical record of votes!
At present, it has a height of 16.5 meters Y the diameter of its glass is 28m with a surface of 615 m2. Weddings are celebrated under its glass, pacts have been sealed under its leaves and it even has its own legend.
Legend has it that in the days when witches populated the Sierra de Guara, they danced and celebrated their rites around the holm oak. A thousand years later, the union with the people is still the reason why the holm oak continues to stand in this small town in Alto Aragón.
Lecina is a municipality in the Sobrarbe region that has 13 inhabitants. Yes indeed, there are not a few visitors who come here attracted by the magnetism of its ancient tree, located very close to the houses of the town and whose access path has been reconditioned.
This ancient and thousand-year-old Lecina Holm oak is a true natural treasure resplendent with life, and it even has its own website! In it, they say that In the past it was saved from the intensive charcoal burning so common in that area thanks to the Carruesco family.
Many of her companions did not have the same luck as her and, as if it were a tribute to her sisters, the imposing holm oak has endured solemnly until today.
In the harsh winters, the Holm oak alone produced 600 kilos of acorns that fed the neighbors' sheep for months, therefore called “La Castañera”.
The holm oak is included in the coat of arms of Aragon: in the upper left quarter there is an oak tree on which a red Latin cross appears.
According to legend, the Jacetans had come to Aínsa to reconquer this territory from the Saracens and When the Christians were losing the battle, a red cross appeared on an oak tree and changed the fortunes of the Christians, rising to victory. Since then the oak and the red cross is the symbol of Sobrarbe (above the tree).
Last June, under the motto “Aragón, those of us who are missing”, 731 holm oaks were planted, one for each Aragonese municipality, in a unitary act in tribute to the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, it has also been wanted that the holm oak will be the symbol of gratitude to health and nursing home workers, to the State security forces and bodies, to essential services and to all those who have guaranteed the food chain.
The imposing thousand-year-old holm oak of Lecina
14 TREES TO MAKE US ALL AWARE
'Tree of the year' has been looking for the trees with the most interesting stories for eleven years. In each edition, the contest obtains protection and care for the 14 participating trees. In addition, 14 local communities come together for the same cause and 14 countries are proud of their natural heritage.
Total, more than 200,000 people become aware of the importance of preserving nature.
“We asked ourselves how to surprise our followers and the public that is going to see the ad and we decided to create an animated short film about this year's contest and its results in the hope that it will animate them. We want our contest to give people what they need most these days: a nice piece of nature and a green and cheerful perspective of your future” said Josef Jary of the Environmental Partnership Associationl.
The Environmental Partnership Association (EPA) was in charge of organizing the contest, in collaboration with the European Landowners' Organization (ELO) or European Land Owners Organization and under the auspices of Ludek Niedermayer and Michal Wiezik (both members of the European Parliament)
"As a long-term partner of this contest, it is a great pleasure to see this event receive so much recognition, participation and appreciation from the public. I would like to congratulate Spain for this year's winner, the Millenary Holm oak of Lecina, for such beauty and cultural transcendence. The inhabitants of Alto Aragón should be tremendously proud of this achievement” , underlined Thierry de l'Escaille, secretary general of ELO.
"This contest reminds us all that trees are not only the basis of our climate or serve as a source of energy, but also that each tree has a unique story. That is why I would like to thank everyone who took part in this year's competition, which is one of the few where everyone is a winner,” Ludek Niedermayer MEP, one of ETY's sponsors, kindly concluded.
Before the grand finale, the Partnership Foundation organized the online conference Planting the Future, which addressed the European Commission's plan to plant an additional 3 billion trees by 2030.
Representatives from the Commission, the European Parliament, Ministries, the business sector, banks and foundations, as well as representatives from cities and tree planting initiatives and NGOs from across Europe, shared their experiences and made recommendations.