European Tree of the Year
February 13, 2017 11:38 PM Subscribe
"The purpose of the European Tree of the Year is to highlight the significance of old trees in the natural and cultural heritage that deserves our care and protection. Unlike other contests, the European Tree of the Year doesn't focus on beauty, size or age but rather on the tree's story and its connection to people. We are looking for trees that have become a part of the wider community."
Get your votes in now for the 2017 European Tree of the year!
The current leader is The Brimmon Oak of Wales, a beloved tree that has been in a family for generations - although a fierce contender is an 800-year old Lime tree that guards a Czech village. Past winners include an Oak tree that lives in the middle of a football field in Estonia and an old Lime tree in Hungary which is said to protect the forest with its magic power.
Get your votes in now for the 2017 European Tree of the year!
The current leader is The Brimmon Oak of Wales, a beloved tree that has been in a family for generations - although a fierce contender is an 800-year old Lime tree that guards a Czech village. Past winners include an Oak tree that lives in the middle of a football field in Estonia and an old Lime tree in Hungary which is said to protect the forest with its magic power.
Those are some beautiful trees.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:10 AM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:10 AM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Welsh can re-site the bypass, but the Estonians are not moving their football pitch.
posted by Segundus at 2:40 AM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Segundus at 2:40 AM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Visitors to the site who have Javascript turned off - get defaulted to Welsh. I sense a surreptitious bias in favour of the Brimmon Oak.
posted by rongorongo at 2:41 AM on February 14, 2017
posted by rongorongo at 2:41 AM on February 14, 2017
The page showing the participating countries is interesting: I wonder why the Nordic countries haven’t got involved: it’s not like they’re short of a few trees to choose from. Italy have participated in past years (with the marvellously-named ‘Tree of Perfect Gaiety’ for example) but not this time, and likewise Romania, whose Lime in Leliceni won the inaugural event in 2011. And why are Estonia and Lithuania competing, but Latvia aren’t? Might the contest be subject to Eurovision-style voting shenanigans, I wonder?
rhizome: on the subject of bonsai-like oaks, see also The Bonsai Oak in Begard, Brittany, which came 6th in 2014.
posted by misteraitch at 2:44 AM on February 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
rhizome: on the subject of bonsai-like oaks, see also The Bonsai Oak in Begard, Brittany, which came 6th in 2014.
posted by misteraitch at 2:44 AM on February 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
Seems like the world's oldest vegetatively cloned tree is a spruce in Sweden, clocking in at 9550 years. It's not much to look at, though, but I expect Yoda would have a pithy quote for that.
posted by Harald74 at 3:42 AM on February 14, 2017
posted by Harald74 at 3:42 AM on February 14, 2017
on the subject of bonsai-like oaks
Sure, they say it's a "bonsai oak," but it's really a turret house.
posted by rhizome at 3:50 AM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sure, they say it's a "bonsai oak," but it's really a turret house.
posted by rhizome at 3:50 AM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
How about the 200-year-old "cedar" tree in Lisbon's Principe Real park, held up by a metal structure (and actually a Mexican cypress)?
posted by chavenet at 4:32 AM on February 14, 2017
posted by chavenet at 4:32 AM on February 14, 2017
Tree of the year seems a bit odd; unless it is cut down or some similar disaster befalls it, a tree is pretty much the same from year to year. Having the contest every few decades would make more sense. But I guess humans have a need to bend trees to our time scale, just as we manipulate nature in so many other ways.
posted by TedW at 7:54 AM on February 14, 2017
posted by TedW at 7:54 AM on February 14, 2017
As a reader of Russian novels, I was always wondering what lime trees were doing in Moscow. But in Europe, a lime tree is what they call a linden.
posted by acrasis at 3:26 PM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by acrasis at 3:26 PM on February 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
It is also said that a couple that make love under the lime tree will share an everlasting love which will overcome all difficulties in life.The picture while a long exposure looks pretty well lit (and it looks like silage bales in the background). I wonder if it actually possible to do this surreptitiously or if the locals just look the other way when couples are engaged in making their love everlasting.
posted by Mitheral at 7:15 PM on February 14, 2017
Wolfdog did you post a blank comment or is my browser not rendering something correctly?
posted by Mitheral at 5:48 PM on February 15, 2017
posted by Mitheral at 5:48 PM on February 15, 2017
« Older He's wishing he'd seen it now though. | Numerosity: The Baker Segments Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by mushhushshu at 11:52 PM on February 13, 2017 [7 favorites]