The oak tree, which grows proudly next to the Sēja manor in Sēja parish, Saulkrasti municipality, has become the “Latvian Tree of the Year 2022” this year due to its story. Second place in this year's vote went to the Glück Oaks from Alūksne, with the Ciemgaļi wild apple tree from Turlava parish in Kuldīga municipality coming in third.

On Friday, 25 November, at 13:00, a celebration for the competition winners will take place at the Sēja oak, gathering not only the organisers and participants of the competition, but also representatives from the Saulkrasti municipal council and the Zemgale regional department of the National Heritage Board, as well as local residents.

The European Tree of the Year competition has been taking place in other European countries since 2002, and in Latvia, it is organised by the Forest Certification Council of Latvia and the Latvian Forest Owners' Association. The purpose of the competition is to highlight old trees as a significant part of natural and cultural heritage that deserves care and protection. Unlike other similar competitions, the European Tree of the Year competition does not focus on the beauty or age of the tree, but rather on the tree's story and its connection to people. The competition looks for trees that have become part of a community.

As Māris Liopa, Chairman of the Forest Certification Council of Latvia, pointed out last year at the conclusion of Latvia's first European Tree of the Year competition: “Latvia has many beautiful trees with stories. Every Latvian finds trees important, and trees are planted and grow by every house, so we decided that we must participate so that the Latvian culture of great trees becomes known outside of Latvia.” Arnis Muižnieks, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Forest Owners' Association, adds to Mr Liopa's words: “Latvians have great respect for oaks; they are the keepers of our historical records. By tending to our history, we become stronger.”

“The Sēja Great Oak has become one of the symbols of Saulkrasti municipality, included in our newly created municipal coat of arms. With sunlight and the strength of the oak – that is who we are in Saulkrasti municipality, and we want to remain this strong, leaving this important legacy to our successors,” says Normunds Līcis, Chairman of the Saulkrasti Municipal Council.

This year, 8 trees with stories were entered into the competition, and anyone interested was able to vote for them.

In February of next year, the Sēja Great Oak will take part in the international voting for the “European Tree of the Year” competition with its story. How well our Sēja Great Oak's story fares will depend on how actively we ourselves vote. The European awards ceremony will take place in March/April in Brussels.