The European Tree 2020 can be Romanian! Vote for the centuries-old tree, the Guardian of the Cibin!

Looking for the 2020 European tree with the most interesting story! In this year's competition there is a Romanian tree - the Cibin's guardian of the Cibin. The tree could win the competition organized by Environmental Partnership Association (EPA) if it gets the most votes. Voting runs throughout the month of February and during the last week the number of votes for each tree will no longer be visible on the website. The results of the competition will be published in a festive setting and the winner will be awarded on March 17, 2020 in Brussels. You can vote by entering here!

The Keeper of the Cibin

The Cibin's keeper is a white fir tree (Abies Alba) from the Sibiu area, approximately 500 years old.

His story is, in fact, a legend. They say that in the Cibin valley there lived a shepherd who had ten sheep. One stormy day the shepherd took shelter with his sheep under the crown of a fir tree and fell asleep. When he woke up, the storm had stopped, but the sheep were gone. The shepherd asked God to help him find the lost animals. After the prayer he fell into a deep sleep and dreamed that the fir tree had grown very tall and thick. When he awoke he saw that the dream had come true. He immediately climbed to the top of the tree and saw the sheep in the distance. Back home, he told his mother about the miracle. Word of the miracle spread quickly in the village and the villagers decided to protect the tree. The tree has been there ever since, protected by the local people, whom it in turn protects.

Tree of the Year

Tree of the year is a competition to find a tree with a story. But the aim of the competition is to raise awareness and involve local communities in protecting the environment and local heritage. By gathering around a tree with a story, people will become more aware and are more likely to get involved in other environmental causes and community well-being in the future.

The European competition is in its 10th edition. It all started in 2011, when an initiative of the Czech Partnership Foundation was extended to the European level. Five countries participated in the first edition and since then the number of participating countries has grown year by year, reaching 16 in 2020. The initiative has spread to other parts of the world, with similar competitions now being held in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore, Canada and Australia.

Year after year, the organization of the contest makes more and more people aware of environmental issues. It unites communities, brings to our attention trees with interesting stories and makes us proud of our natural heritage.

How do I vote?

Simple! Enter here and click in the circle at the bottom right of the image with the name of the tree (The Multi-Columnar Fir - guardian of the Cibin)! Then read the rest of the stories because, apart from the Romanian tree, one more vote for a tree from another country is needed for your vote to be valid. You can only vote once and you can vote until February 29, 23.59 CET (Central Europe Time).

Let's make our tree the star of Europe! Vote!