EUROPEAN TREE OF THE YEAR 2025, Part 2

 

Continuing the countdown of the 15 nominated trees, as decided by public voting.

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8

Mēru Grand Oak

Species: Common Oak (Quercus robur L.)

Age: 200 years

Region: Mēri, Bilska parish, Smiltene municipality (Latvia)

Votes: 13,088

Th tree's story (provided by the persons / organisations nominating):

Mēru Grand Oak

A strong guardian of the region, a witness of history, and a bearer of blessings. The Mēru Grand Oak was probably mentioned in a quote of an old story: “After the Northern War, the plague raged around, killing all living creatures, except two people who survived, climbing up an oak”.

Mēru Grand Oak is considered to have the largest canopy in the Baltics. As per the latest measurement taken in 2024, the crown projection is 16.6 m northwards, 17 m southwards, 22.2 m eastwards, 16.8 m westwards. The crown's diameter spans 39 m east-west and 33.6 m north-south. The crown projection area is 0.1 ha.

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7

The Skipinnish Oak

Species: Common Oak (Quercus robur L.)

Age: 400 years

Region: Lochaber, Scotland, United Kingdom

Votes: 16,771

The Skipinnish Oak

The Skipinnish Oak in Scotland was crowned UK winner. This magnificent 400-year-old tree stands tall in an airy clearing amid a dark spruce plantation in the heart of Lochaber, Scotland. Impressive in stature and history, it's one of the largest oaks in the region and a local treasure, partially named after the renowned Scottish Celtic band. This amazing tree is also a crucial part of the ecosystem and hosts diverse lichens including the rare black-eyed Susan, which is seldom found outside the west of Scotland.

(Dave, have you seen it?)

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6

White Acacia

Species: White acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Age: Morethan years

Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

Votes: 16,986

Witness of Seven Generations

White acacia, over 140 years old and known as the «Witness of Seven Generations» is a rarity for its species. The tree has been part of 6 states (Austria-Hungary, WUPR, Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Germany, Ukrainian SSR and Ukraine), standing as a living witness to history.

Acacia was planted on the shore of a small lake in the private park of the Romashka family, founded on the site of the Black Forest. The unique structure of the roots resembles the intertwining of destinies and eras and has become a favorite location for visits by seven generations of Ivano-Frankivsk residents.

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5

Wild Pear from Bošáca

Species: Plane Pear (Pyrus Pyraster)

Age: 150 years

Region: Bošáca, Nové Mesto nad Váhom District, Region Trenčín, Slovakia

Votes: 23,729

A stray pear seed

A stray seed, carried away by the wind from under a nearby pear tree, took root on the sunny Lysica Hill, which rises above Bošáca village. Bošáca is an exceptional place with a rich fruit-growing tradition, where massive pear seedlings are an integral part of the White Carpathian landscape. The pear tree is an important landmark because the vicinity of the tree is a sought-after place for its weather conditions for fans of paragliding - every year there is a competition in flying historical model airplanes.

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4

Lukavice Oak

Species: Common Oak (Quercus robur L.)

Age: 700-800 years

Region: Lukavice, Pardubice Region, Czech Republic

Votes: 35,650

The Majestic Elder

(I wonder whether the Elder Wand in Harry Poter was amde from this wood??).

The period before World War I was not kind to this nearly 700-year-old elder. The management of the estate, on whose land the oak had taken root, made persistent efforts to destroy it. They chose a truly unusual method: removing cartloads of soil from around its roots, which was done despite a prohibition from the authorities at the time.

The oak withstood these attempts to destroy it and, for several centuries, has continued to stand as a companion to the local community, which is rightfully proud of it.

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3

Pino de Juan Molinera

Species: Stone Pine (Pinus pinea)

Age: 400 years

Region: Abengibre, Province of Albacete, Spain

Votes: 36,873

Pino de Juan Molinera

Planted almost 400 years ago to give shelter and rest to the day laborers of the surrounding orchards, the Pino de Juan Molinera keeps the history and memories of more than a dozen generations of Agengibre's people: children's games, snacks, popular celebrations, confidences sharing their sweet pine nuts and, of course, beautiful love stories were also born under its protection. As symbols of its strength, it proudly displays the harsh tests to which time has subjected it. It has survived devastating floods, major snowstorms and was even struck by lightning in the middle of the last century.

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2

The Lovers Banyan Tree

Species: Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)

Age: 150 years

Region: Santa Clara, Coimbra, Portugal

Votes: 43,427

The Lovers Banyan Tree - the Quinta das Lágrimas gardens' living heritage

This majestic evergreen tree is located in the Quinta das Lágrimas Gardens next to the Fountain of Lovers, the scene of the secret love between King Pedro of Portugal and Inês de Castro. It was planted in the 19th century by an aristocratic tree collector as the result of seed exchanges with the Sydney [Australia] Botanical Garden. Today, it is an attraction to this place of worship for lovers and admired by thousands of visitors, who are fascinated by the size and beauty of its branches, huge trunk and buttress roots.

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And the winner is (with some likley high telephone bills for voters) . . . 

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1

Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills

Species: Common beech (Fagus sylvatica) 'Atropunicea'

Age: 300 years

Region: Dalków, Gaworzyce commune, Lower Silesia, Poland

Votes: 147,553

A heart that unites

The beech tree grows in a historic park. It is called "Heart" for 3 reasons: growing in the central part of the Dalkowskie Hills, with its red-coloured leaves resembling the color of a heart, it gathers people under its branches. Concerts, reading clubs and Catholic Masses were held here. Over 5,000 people have taken part in horticultural and sylvotherapy workshops here. Tourists think of wishes and throw peanuts into the hole in the tree, believing that the tree makes dreams come true.

-----ooOoo-----

A total of 15 trees from across Europe competed for the title.

The victory of The Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills marks Poland’s fourth consecutive win in the European Tree of the Year competition.

In 2022, a 400-year-old oak from Przybudki in Poland’s northeastern Białowieża Forest took the title. In 2023, a 180-year-old common oak, nicknamed "Fabrykant," from the central Polish city of Łódź, won. Last year, a 200-year-old beech known as The Heart of the Garden, growing in Wojsławice, southwestern Poland, claimed the prestigious award