Tree of the year
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
White elm
| Elm, Wych elm |
Harilik jalakas
|
| White elm; Spreading elm |
Künnapuu
|
Ulmus laevis |
The elm and the white elm belong to the same family, Ulmaceae, and are quite similar. City people see them much more often in urban green areas than in a forest. There are only about 10 ha of forest with elm as the dominating species in Estonia, but splendid solitary trees grow in the whole of the country.
The editorial board of the journal "Eesti Loodus" (Estonian Nature) have nominated the elm and the white elm as Trees of the Year for 2011. We will try to follow their changes with the seasons here; in April they begin flowering, already before the leaves are out – and there isn’t all that long time left until then.
The idea of selecting a Tree of the year was initiated by professor Viktor Masing (1925-2001) using a model from our northern neighbours, and the enterprise was launched in 1996. At first the aim was to nominate a national tree but this was thought to be somewhat premature and so it was limited to naming a Tree of the Year. In the early years the readers of the Eesti Loodus journal helped in choosing the trees.
Previous Trees of the Year have been: juniper (1996), spruce (1997), oak (1998), birch (1999), rowan (2000), pine (2001), lime or linden (2002), maple (2003), alder (2004), aspen (2005), willow (2006), ash (2007), yew tree (2008), hazel (2009) and bird cherry (2010).
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