Since 2011, the National Forestry Office and the Terres Sauvages magazine have organized the Tree of the Year competition, a way of highlighting natural heritage. This year, for the 14th edition, two specimens from Aude need votes from the public.
From this Friday, November 8, votes will be open to designate the Tree of the Year, as part of a competition organized by the National Forestry Office and Terres Sauvages magazine.
In Aude, two trees were selected from around a hundred applications. The first is located in the commune of Villesèquelande. It is an elm tree approximately 400 years old, measuring 14 meters high with a circumference of 6 meters. Installed on the central square, between the church and the town hall, this centuries-old elm is called the Sully abalone and has been classified as a “remarkable tree” since 2013.
Planted during the reign of Henri IV on the orders of his minister and advisor Sully, it witnessed the creation of the Canal du Midi, which crosses the commune. Above all, it has been a witness, over time, to the daily life of its inhabitants. This is how he saw, since the institution of civil status in 1792, the listing of 987 births, 518 marriages and 1,055 deaths.
The second is a remarkable holm oak from the Clape massif, 10 meters high and whose barrels measure between 20 and 50 centimeters in diameter. Its ball-like appearance is a real ecological niche, in this dry and arid scree environment, which can serve as shelter for all kinds of insects and birds.
This “Miss France” tree competition is above all intended to highlight natural heritage. They are presented by people or groups and selected for their naturalistic, aesthetic and historical characteristics but also for the link that unites them to the tree. Among the trees selected, 14 this year, two will be particularly highlighted: one which will receive the prize from the jury, made up of Terres sauvage magazine, the ONF, the LPO and the ARBRES association and the second, chosen by the public through votes on the internet on the sitearbredelannee.com from November 8. The winner will then represent France in the European Tree of the Year competition, which will be held in 2025.
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