Hungarian Almond Tree was the winner of the contest. Portuguese tree landed the third place.
The century-old Evergreen Oak from Monte Barbeiro, on the freguesia of Alcaria Ruiva, Mértola, ended up in third place in the contest of European Tree of the Year 2019, with 32.630 votes. The winner was the Hungarian Almond Tree, with 45.132 votes, followed by the Russian Oak Tree, with 39.538
Mértola’s tree (Quercus rotundifolia) is in under the Special Protection Zone of the Guadiana Valley. This tree is one of a kind specially for its measures, as it has a treetop diameter of almost 24 meters and 487 square meters of treetop.
The Municipality of Mértola issued a statement thanking all those who voted for the tree. “The best way to appreciate its grandiosity is by its own shadow: we can seat under its foliage and take a rest from the abrasive heat of the Alentejo, contemplating the involving plains that surround the tree.”
The Evergreek Oak from Mértola had previously won the National Tree of the Year competition promoted by the UNAC – Mediterranean Forest Union, later representing Portugal in the European competition.
