6-century-old plane tree may become European Tree of 2011

published on 2/28/11 2:20 PM

Photo: EcoSociety Foundation

The Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation launched last year the European Tree of the Year contest, under the auspices of EU Commissioner for the Environment Yanez Potochnik and the media partnership of National Geographic. The citizens of several European states were invited to select a living tree that is important and significant for their environment. Their suggestions have to be accompanied by several pictures and a text that explains them. This country joined the initiative via the EcoSociety Foundation that organized the Tree of the Year in Bulgaria contest. The selected plant will compete for the European Tree of 2011 award. “The interest towards the idea surprised even us, the organizers” – Alexandra Georgieva, a coordinator of the project from the EcoSociety Foundation told a Radio Bulgaria reporter:

“When we started we didn’t even hope that so many people would pay attention to the idea in such a short notice. There were180 participants at the contest, while 6,000 people took part in the following final vote. The interest is even greater now, when the European Tree of the Year is being voted for.”

The 6-century-old plane tree in the center of the village of Garmen in Southeastern Bulgaria that can be seen from a very long distance is the winner at national level. It was suggested by 17-year-old Maria Softova, a student from the village.

“I was really impressed by this tree yet when I was a small child, since it is huge – 24 m high and its circumference is 10 m. I study in the neighboring town of Gotse Delchev and when I get back home I see the tree from a very long distance.”

The tree is a representative of the relict species eastern plane /platanus orientalis/ that formed thick forests along the Mesta River during the Tertiary Era. It has witnessed a lot of historic events over the past 6 centuries. There is an interesting legend from the period when the Ottomans conquered these lands. A group of soldiers guarded small Christian kids, taken away from their homes by force to be turned into Janissaries. They stopped under the shadow of the tree and wanted to drink cold water from the well. However, a brave man had placed an inscription reading “The water is poisoned”. The Janissaries went mad and set the tree on fire. When the news spread, all the villagers rushed to extinguish the fire. The tree was saved, but a huge wound remained that never healed.
So far the Bulgarian plane tree is the leader at the contest together with a tree, suggested by Romania /www.treeoftheyear.org/. However, changes may always occur till the final on March 6th. The winner will be announced and the award will be bestowed at the EP in May during the Green Week in Brussels.

The Bulgarian contest also conferred several additional national prizes. The Future for the Earth Club from the Pencho Slaveikov High School in Dimitrovgrad was awarded at the Young Environmentalist category for the big and beautiful sweet almond tree growing in the schoolyard and “adopted” by the students. Two plants shared the first place at the Tree in Danger category – a few centuries old oak tree in the Kartala area near the village of Avren and a plane tree in the Bedechka Park near the town of Stara Zagora.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev
Photos provided by the EcoSociety Foundation.

По публикацията работи: Maria Dimitrova

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6-century-old plane tree may become European Tree of 2011

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