To the big pine he missed the prize Tree of the Year in Spain. The unique specimen that opens to the sky of Vilaflor de Chasna, with its almost eight centuries of existence, 45 meters high and its imposing 9.36-meter trunk, was in sixth position among the ten finalist candidates from all over the country for the receive a total of 953 votes online.
The first prize went to the Encina del Monte de la Redonda, in Colindres (Cantabria), which obtained 6,128 supports and will represent Spain in the European contest organized by the NGO Bosques Sin Fronteras. In second position was Plátano Biar from Valencia (4,972 votes), ahead of Carballo from Santa Margarita (Pontevedra), third classified, with 2,830 votes.
In the bases of the contest, which has the collaboration of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, it was specified that the beauty, size or age of the trees would not be valued so much but their history and their relationship with people and the territory. They were looking for a specimen that “has become an integral part of the community in its broadest sense.”
With the presentation of the candidacy for Tree of the Year in Spain, the Vilaflor de Chasna City Council sought to influence the “dissemination, respect and appreciation of our unique trees, reinforcing the need to preserve this type of unique beings, unfairly forgotten during too much time”.
Since Vilaflor de Chasna’s Pino Gordo was nominated as a finalist, the mayoress of the municipality, Agustina Beltrán, appealed to the union of all the islands “in defense of a common good to make it a great symbol of the Archipelago, as the Dragon tree from Icod de los Vinos or Sabina from El Hierro”.
The colossal specimen of Pinus canariensis, which dominates the landscape of the Corona Forestal of the Teide National Park, is made up of three large vertical pernadas, and is the second tallest native tree in Spain, only surpassed by the so-called Pino de las Dos Pernadas, located 25 meters away.
The Pino Gordo has become a tourist attraction and its visit is a must for tourists and residents of the Island who travel to Vilaflor de Chasna or go to the Teide National Park. It represents a key species in the conservation of the island’s natural environment due to its function as a condenser for cloud water, cleaning the air and sheltering and feeding plants and animals.
