«Ekosphera» NGO has identified 13 trees for national selection for participation in the international competition «European Tree of the Year». Everyone can participate in voting, but we will take into account only unique votes.
Last year, Ukraine took part in this competition for the first time, presenting a Apple-Tree from Sumska region, which is over 220 years old. In total, more than 14,000 people from various European countries and Ukraine voted for the apple tree colony. According to the results of the competition, the Ukrainian tree took third place.
This year, the NGO “Ekosphera” is conducting a national selection of Ukrainian trees with unique stories. We invite you to familiarize yourself with their features below.
You can vote here: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
1. «Sister trees»: pear and birch, which have a common root neck (Cherkasy region)
The botanical natural monument of local importance is located in the Kropyvne tract within the administrative boundaries of the Irkliiv village council outside the village.
The natural monument was created to protect and preserve the original pear trees 12 m high and 23 cm in diameter, and birch trees 14 m high and 20 cm in diameter.
You can vote for “Sister Trees” by following the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
This oak is a botanical landmark of local importance. The tree has a trunk girth of 4.67 m, a height of 37.72 m, and is about 300 years old.You can vote for this oak by following the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
The authentic tree is about 100 years old. A pine tree with an incredibly smooth trunk, a spreading crown and a dry top. Once upon a time, the respiratory sanatorium was located on the central square of our village of Manevichi, and it was here that people came from all over to breathe in the piney air.
You can vote for “Century Pine” by following the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
A botanical monument of nature of local importance “Witness of history”, which is approximately 300 years old. The girth of the trunk is 8.5 m. There are hollows in the crown of the tree where owls nest.You can vote for “Witness of History” by following the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
Shovkovytsia in the village of Mezyrych is a botanical monument of nature of local importance in Ukraine. It is located within the Sumy district of the Sumy region. The area is 0.02 hectares.The status is granted to preserve one mulberry tree. The girth is 6.16 m, the height of the formed tree reaches no more than 15 m, while the height of Mezhirytska is 21 m.
Small, clustered mulberry flowers can be male or female (dioecious), but on some (monoecious) plants, both can open at the same time, especially on the Mezhirytsky mulberry. A mulberry lives up to 200 years, but there are mulberry trees that are already five centuries old, the age of a mulberry tree is more than 350 years.
This is one of the oldest mulberry trees in Ukraine. According to a local legend, at the end of the 17th century, public funds were used to grow mulberry gardens for the breeding of silkworms.
Vote for “Shevkovytsia in the village of Mezhyrich” you can follow the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
The village of Veryn in the Lviv region, the first written mention of which dates back to 1469, has its own sights, among which the oldest tree in the Lviv region is an ancient oak that took root on the territory of the local Michael’s church. The age is about 1000 years. In 1984, the old oak was given the status of a botanical monument. It is one of the oldest oaks in Ukraine. The tree has several hollows, one of which is so large that it resembles a cave. This tree is really impressive with its mighty size!
And in 1917, there was a School of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen in Veryn. The soldiers immortalized the old tree in a photo, which was later used as an image for a postcard.
There is a legend that hetman of Ukraine Bohdan Khmelnytsky once stayed near this tree. In local folklore, there is even a small story about this: “Bohdan once sat under that tree, which was already quite old at the time, cut off a branch, and said: “I will beat the masters with that stick if the saber breaks!” Vote for «Thousand-year-old oak» you can follow the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
Vote for «Dinosaur Pine» you can follow the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
8. Weymouth Pine: a tree saved by children in Kharkiv
Weymouth Pine grows in the open-air museum of plants of the Red Book of Ukraine, created by students of Kharkiv Lyceum No. 1. The history of this tree is interesting in that it originally grew in the forest-park zone of Kharkiv, where it was found by lyceum students. The tree was half a meter high, on the verge of death.
You can vote for “Weymouth Pine” by following the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
9. Aspen: p. Velika Burimka (Chornobaiv settlement community, Cherkasy region).
This is the most powerful tree in terms of height and girth of the trunk in the park in the village. Velika Burimka in Cherkasy region. In addition, it had 3 trunks from one root. There is even a legend about three aspens – “Three Sisters”. Unfortunately, today only the central trunk is preserved, and the remaining 2 died during a storm in 1980 and 1985. This plant is dioecious and this specimen is the male form. Aspen is frost-resistant, light-loving, so the crown is in the upper part, where there is no shade.
10. Bohdan’s Oak: p. Velika Burimka (Chornobaiv settlement community, Cherkasy region).
Bohdan’s Oak is located in the western part of the park in the village of Great Burimka among the ash trees and maples that shade it. The oak was struck by lightning twice, so some of the branches were burned. This tree has historical significance – according to legend, in 1654, B. Khmelnytskyi passed by here and left a sign of a red-hot copper seal on the oak.
Vote for «Bohdan’s Oak» you can follow the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
11. Pine oak is the oldest tree in the village. Velika Burimka (Cherkasy region).
Oak grows on the outskirts of the village. Its trunk can be embraced by 4 people. The oak is the thickest tree found, with only 3 skeletal branches, the other two having broken off during the storm. A large cavity has formed near the root and therefore it is slowly dying.
Vote for «Pine oak» you can follow the link: https://forms.gle/4kDzkKUSbyhBuyJJA
The European Tree of the Year initiative has been held since 2011 by the Association of Environmental Partnerships. Since then, the number of countries participating in the contest has increased from 5 to 16. Which tree will represent Ukraine in this contest is up to you!
