among the three winners, the favorite prize goes to the oldest tree in France, a 2,000 year old olive tree

Considered the oldest tree in France, the olive tree of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the Alpes-Maritimes, whose age is estimated at more than 2,000 years, won the “favorite” prize on Wednesday January 17 of the competition for the most beautiful Tree of the Year 2023, reports France Bleu Azur.

The circumference of this thousand-year-old Olea Europaea olive tree reaches 23.5 meters and its height 15 meters. He is therefore one of the three winners of this new edition. The public prize was won by the weeping beech located in Bayeux in Calvados. The jury prize goes to Tilleul de la Combe Droit, located in Lapeyrouse in Puy-de-Dôme.

The three most beautiful trees in France rewarded among 140 contenders

This year, 140 trees were entered into the competition. The jury was made up of Terre Sauvage magazine, the National Forestry Office, the ARBRES association, the LPO, the Bird Protection League. The jurors met in early September and selected 14 candidates. These candidates were then put to a public vote from November 8 to December 18, 2023. With 27,555 votes in total, the public voted in majority for the Norman tree.

Created in 2011 by Terre Sauvage magazine and the National Forestry Office, the Tree of the Year competition rewards the most beautiful trees in France each year.