Natural Selection

Voting started yesterday for the 2017 European Tree of the Year with 16 nominated for the shortlist. They are all magnificent examples of their species, of great age and character and with many stories to tell of what they have silently witnessed over the ages. Here are the contenders in no particular order of preference.

The Brimmon oak: pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), over 500 years old, Newtown, Powys, Wales, UK. A new bypass was ‘bent’ to save this ancient pollarded oak known as ‘the Brimmon oak’. It has been cared for by one family for generations – they even have wedding photographs from 1901 that were taken under its canopy. But in 2015 it was threatened by a new bypass. Mervyn Jones, who farms the land, campaigned hard to save the tree with ‘tree hunter’ Rob McBride and following a 5,000-signature petition to the Welsh Assembly, the bypass route was adjusted.

Plane tree from Budatin: plane tree (Platanus hispanica), 270 years old, Žilina, North Slovakia. A London plane is the largest of two plane trees in the Castle park, which was founded during the reign of Count Ján Suňog in 1745 when his head gardener was Ján František Roder from Silesia. Near the large healthy tree grows another plane, that is smaller and sickly. The two plane trees grow together as two different brothers, their roots are inextricably bound.

The ‘ding dong’ tree: copper beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea), about 30 years old, Prestonpans, Scotland, UK. Beloved by generations of pupils at Prestonpans Primary, the tree gets its name from a game invented by pupils who compete to touch its trunk shouting ‘ding dong!’ Its protecting canopy makes it an ideal outdoor classroom, and it brings particular calm to children with complex emotions. It is also the subject of many science and art projects. The headteacher says this copper beech is so woven into the life and identity of the school it’s almost like having an extra member of staff.

Oak Józef: English oak (Quercus robur), 650 years old, Wiśniowa, Podkarpackie province, Poland. The special history of Oak Józef is linked to the place where it grows. The Mycielski family was so charmed by the beauty of the area that they bought a mansion there that became a cultural and intellectual centre of the region. During the second world war the oak provided shelter for a Jewish family hiding from the Nazis. Also the oak’s image was printed on Polish 100 złoty bills. Today, oak Józef is admired by many visitors and is captured in photos and paintings.

Old Homer: holm oak (Quercus ilex), about 200 years old, Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK. ‘I’m the 200-year-old leaning holm oak near the fairy glen in Rostrevor – now I need support! I’ve been loved by generations of local people; for decades, artists, writers and musicians have been inspired under my evergreen leaves. Charles Dickens, CS Lewis and the young Princess Elizabeth have walked the ground I stand on. Hundreds of children have climbed me or swung from my branches. We’ve all become friends. I hear your voices: you touch my spirit as I reach for the light.’

The Stelmužė oak: common oak (Quercus robur L.), more than 1,000 years old, Stelmužė village, Zarasai district, Utena county, Lithuania. One of Europe’s oldest trees, and a symbol of strength, stands near a 17th-century wooden church built by Latvian masters without the use of a single iron nail. Lithuanians say that a man is ‘as strong as Stelmužė oak’. Tourists enjoy its beauty and rich history of pagan sacrifices under its branches or the skeleton and rifle of a Napoleonic soldier found in its cavity. Its acorns propagate many oaks, preserving this veteran tree‘s genes for years to come.

Hugh O’Flaherty’s trees: Mediterranean palm, Italian cypress, holm oak, stone pine, 25 years old, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland. Killarney native, O’Flaherty helped to save 6,500 lives during the Nazi occupation of Rome. This grove of Mediterranean trees was planted in his honour in the Muckross Arboretum in Killarney national park in June 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Rome. A poem, O’Flaherty’s Trees by Brendan Kennelly was read on that occasion by the poet and now forms the centrepiece plaque at the grove.

Jászai Mari square plane tree (Platanus), 80 years old, Budapest, Hungary. In the heart of the capital, and its people, this giant plane is one of the most visited trees in the country. It is eternalised on innumerable family photos with family members resting in its shade. One of the outstanding figures of Hungarian literature, Miklós Radnóti and his wife, Auntie Fifi often walked their dog and had picnics in the shade of the tree. The area surrounding the plane tree became a park in 1903, and it won the title of ‘number one ornamental garden of Budapest’ in the ‘90s.

Climbing beech in Hoppenrade: European beech (Fagus sylvatica), 175 years old, Hoppenrade, Brandenburg, Germany. In the meadow behind our school stands a large, old beech. It is part of our lives and symbolises strength, cohesion, vitality, faith and the transfer of knowledge. Under her canopy we hold open-air classes and it’s a special place all year round – in the spring we can observe sprouting buds, in the summer it gives shade, in the autumn we kick the sea of leaves, in the winter we build a snowman by the trunk. Pupils and staff alike admire and protect our old beech.

The Céron park saman: rain tree (Albizia saman), 300 years old, Le Prêcheur, Martinique, France. This saman, or rain tree, used to shelter coffee and cacao plantations. It comes from the Habitation Céron park (an old sugar plantation from the 17th century), and is registered as one of the largest trees in the Lesser Antilles. A protective tree, which itself is protected from the weather, it has survived all of the island’s cyclones, as well as the eruption of Mount Pelée volcano in 1902.

Russalka oak: common oak (Quercus robur L.), about 100 years old, Tallinn, Harju county, Estonia. A short distance from the statue of Russalka – erected to commemorate the sinking of this ship with its 178 Estonian and Russian seamen – stands an oak tree with an unusual shape. This spot is a favourite meeting place in Tallinn. When this large oak tree became an obstacle to urban development the local community campaigned to save it. Hopefully, this graceful oak will continue to connect different people and cultures for centuries to come.

The sycamore gap tree: sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), several hundred years old, Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, England, UK. This is probably the most photographed spot in the whole of Northumberland national park. Here, a sycamore tree grows in a dramatic dip with Hadrian’s Wall rising up either side. The 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, was filmed here. The tree has been known as The Robin Hood Tree ever since.

The lime tree at Lipka: small-leaved Lime (Tilia cordata), 800 years old, Lipka at Horní Bradlo, Pardubice region, The Czech Republic. This lime tree grows by a road connecting the 13th-century Lipka manor and a former cemetery, now tomb of the manor’s first owners, the Kustoš family. For 800 years the tree has welcomed local people to the world and seen them on their last journey. It is said that 15th-century general Jan Žižka camped under its branches and philosopher Jan Amos Komenský stayed here briefly. It is said that a couple that make love under the tree will share an everlasting love.

The sessile oak by Nasalevtsi church: sessile oak (Quercus Petrea), over 600 years old, Nasalevtsi village, Tryn Municipality, Bulgaria. This venerable sessile oak grows by the outer wall of the local church of the Nativity of Mary. The place is considered sacred and there was a church here as early as the period of the Second Bulgarian State (12th-14th century). The current church was built in 1859, when people used to make annual sacrificial offerings to saints here to pray for good health, protection from storms, snakes, attacks by invaders, and also for rain.

The Massemen village lime tree : large-Leaved linden (Tilia platyphyllos), 380 to 440 years old, Massemen, East-Flanders, Belgium. This lime tree has been beloved in Massemen for over 400 years, as befits any veteran tree. Its knobbly trunk, hollow inside and leaves speak for themselves. It groaned ‘in fright’ when the village church burned down in 1645, feasted with the lords of Massemen when the village became a princedom and saw French invaders beaten in 1798. The lime tree spreads a delicious perfume and is featured in many paintings. People still fall in love under its canopy.

Aprisquillo pine: black pine (Pinus nigra), over 350 years old, La Adrada (Ávila), Spain. ‘By the stream, among clouds and mountains I find myself. I’m a black pine, although everyone calls me ‘Aprisquillo’. I grew huge, tall, strong and vigorous. I hear you coming and I know you come to see me. You embrace me and give me your hand, you surround me, you sit on my exposed roots, you talk and talk about my dimensions. Together, we remember past stories about fires and plagues which I have suffered. I enjoy in silence and smile. Here, I will be forever, as a guardian, waiting for you.’