Polish maple in race for European Tree of the Year title
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
07.02.2019 07:40
A 65-year-old ash-leaved maple in eastern Poland is among trees from 15 countries entered for the European Tree of the Year 2019 contest.
Photo: Skitterphoto/pixabay/Pixabay License
The maple grows in the town of Krasnystaw, in Poland’s eastern Lublin province. Considered to be unsightly and deformed because of its “kneeling” shape, it was earmarked for felling several years ago.
Thanks to widespread protests the tree was saved, becoming a popular tourist attraction.
An online vote (at www.treeoftheyear.org) runs until the end of February.
The results of the competition will be announced at a ceremony in Brussels on March 21.
The contest is organised by the Environmental Partnership Association, a consortium of six foundations from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia which support community-based projects to protect the environment.
In 2017, a Polish oak nicknamed Józef (Joseph), growing in Wiśniowa, south-eastern Poland, was voted European Tree of the Year.
(mk/pk)