Thanks to the efforts of Salviamo l’Orso, WWF and the Stazione Ornitologica Abruzzese, the story of the 100-year-old white fir tree in Agnone that the mayor of Rosello had promised to donate to the Vatican for Christmas this year has ended well.
The felling of the silver fir had been promised two years ago without considering the fact that the tree falls within a Natura 2000 Site, moreover outside the municipality of Rosello, and cutting it down requires specific permits that the mayor did not have. This led, on the eve of the cut, to intervention by the Region and the Carabinieri Forestali, who blocked the operation.
The sacrifice of a large tree, a relict species from the last ice age of which there are few populations left, to beautify Vatican Square was considered by many to be an anachronistic and stupid choice. We are sure that Pope Francesco is happy to host a nursery fir and to know this 100-year-old tree still in its place in the Apennines.
