The European Tree of the Year contest award ceremony is back at the European Parliament in 2023 and with it trees from 16 European countries competing for the award of a tree with the most intriguing story. You can find the national nominees and take part in the vote between February 1st and February 28th at www.treeoftheyear.org
On Wednesday February 1st, the Environmental Partnership Association supported by the European Landowners Organisation launched the final vote in the 2023 European Tree of the Year (ETY) contest on a new website. It was preceded by the national Tree of the Year rounds which once again selected a diverse variety of nominees. You will find the full list of this year’s contenders together with their stories here. Voting is open to the public from February 1st 8:00 AM CET and will run until February 28th 23:59 PM CET. Beginning February 22nd 00:00, the current vote counts will be hidden until the end of the vote.
16 trees from 16 countries are competing in the contest at the end of which the one with the most interesting story will become this year’s European Tree of the Year. Symbols of old times, survivors in hostile conditions, or witnesses of our coexistence with nature, remarkable trees from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom tell inspiring and thought-provoking accounts. In addition to these countries, this year the organisers are most delighted to welcome Ukraine to the ETY family for the first time. “The participation of Ukraine and its apple tree reminds us yet again that the stories attached to the trees which we celebrate through this contest are not merely a thing of the past. Trees are witnesses of the past as well as the present. Reflecting on this, we remind ourselves that they are also an integral part of our future and heroes in the stories we are yet to write,” says Adam Holub, one of the ETY organisers.
To help us familiarise ourselves with the competing trees, Rob McBride, the British tree hunter, is again touring the finalist trees with a resolution to physically visit as many as possible. On February 1st, Rob begins his tour in Łódź, Poland with the Oak Fabrykant before moving on to see the Pear Tree in Drásov, Czech Republic on February 3rd. “Rob’s engagement with our contest has been temporarily severely limited during the covid period and we are very happy that he is back on track spreading awareness of
our contenders and our award,” says Kateřina Bolečková, the Contest Coordinator. You can join the ETY team in following Mr McBride’s journey at Rob’s Instagram and Twitter accounts.
After a period marked by ceremonies in online and hybrid formats, the organisers of the 2023 ETY announce that the Award Ceremony of the contest is going to return to the European Parliament. Placed under the patronage of MEPs Luděk Nidermayer and Michal Wiezik, the Award Ceremony will take place on March 21st in the EP’s József Antall building, restaurant space JAN 3Q.
“Trees are an integral part of our landscape, producing the oxygen vital to our existence and essential cornerstones in the fight against climate change. Trees are also places of Memory. Trees witness the changes from one generation to the next, as well as changes in our societies. Let’s value them as partners in our life, a life that sometimes needs to slow down to let us gaze into the crown of a century-old tree to realise our finitude. The current conflict in Ukraine shows us how the world would benefit if certain people would just sit under a tree and think about the consequences of their decisions…” says Luděk Nidermayer, MEP and ambassador of the European Tree of the Year contest.
