[GTranslate]What is the tree of the year? Not just the most beautiful, but the one with an important story? This will be decided by the people of the internet through an online vote open until 28 February on the site www.treeoftheyear.org as part of the competition organized by the Environmental Partnership Association (Epa), a grouping of six foundations from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia that support projects aimed at protecting the environment and activating local communities.

The finalists for the European Tree of the Year 2021 are 14: the Four-Trunked Survivor (Belgium), the Old Mulberry (Bulgaria), the Apple tree near Lidman (Czech Republic), the Pouplie (France), the Eldest Resident of Medulin – Chocolate tree of our memories (Croatia), the Judas tree of the church of Mélykút (Hungary), the ancient Mother tree (Netherlands), Saint Jan Nepomucen Linden (Poland), Plane tree of Rossio (Portugal), the Ancient Sycamore Tree (Russian Federation), the Ancient Oak from Drnava (Slovakia), the Millenial Carrasca of Lecina (Spain), the Survivor Tree (United Kingdom) and the thousand-year-old plane tree of Curinga (in the pic): this one is a millennial tree from Calabria.

“The Curinga plane tree – we can read on the site of the competition – is located in a very unusual position: overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, it juts out over a small stream. From the height of its majesty, this “guardian” seems to lovingly watch over the forest. It is thought to be planted by Basilian monks who arrived in Calabria more than a thousand years ago and that built the hermitage of Sant’Elia, but its trunk maybe even older. Its trunk is completely hollow and has an opening more than 3 metres wide; whoever enters it has the feeling of being inside an incredible woody cave. Thanks to the huge size of its circumference it is now the largest plane tree in Italy”.

Online voting is open until February 28, 2021, with the possibility of indicating two candidates. The vote will be secret and the number of votes will not be visible on the site. The results of the competition will be announced with a ceremony on March 17, 2021, during the ‘Planting for the Future: 3 billion trees in Europe’ conference. To vote it: https://www.treeoftheyear.org/Stromy/Curinga-Plane-Tree

Watch the video about the tree: Curinga Plane Tree