Why did Kortrijk choose a 114-year-old plane as its most beautiful tree?
A 114-year-old plane tree on Sint-Amandsplein in Kortrijk has won a public contest organised by Groen Kortrijk, prevailing over nine other finalists after an official tally of 475 votes. The modest civic poll also highlights a harder economic question: how should a growing city value mature trees when public space, construction and climate adaptation compete for money and land?
The election itself is symbolic, but the tree represents an asset that provides shade and neighbourhood amenity while being costly and slow to replace. For residents and nearby businesses, decisions about its care affect the comfort and appeal of the square; for taxpayers, protecting healthy mature trees can avoid replacement expenditure and the decades-long wait for equivalent canopy.
A 114-year-old plane tree on in has been elected the city’s most beautiful tree, winning by what organiser described as an overwhelming majority after 475 people voted between 1 July and 15 August 2026. The result was announced on 17 August, and the organisers scheduled a public celebration beneath the tree in the Overleie neighbourhood for 23 August.
The official result published through the regional press centre gives the total as 475 votes. subsequently reported that more than 500 people had taken part, but neither source published the vote distribution or explained the discrepancy. The exact winning margin therefore remains unknown. What is clear is that the plane prevailed over nine other publicly accessible trees selected from roughly 70 nominations submitted during May.
At nearly 30 metres high, the winner is neither the tallest nor the oldest finalist. reported that the tree is 114 years old, while the oldest candidate was a 140-year-old plane in Groeningepark. The field also included trees in Rollegem, Marke, Bissegem, Aalbeke and several neighbourhoods, ranging from a weeping beech and a swamp oak to sugar maples and a Caucasian wingnut.
The result is primarily a story about place and public affection. The plane dominates visually, and its long life makes it a fixed point in a neighbourhood that has changed around it. ’s Bert Van Dierdonck said the winner appeared to be the tree with which the largest number of residents felt a strong connection. That interpretation is plausible, although the voluntary online poll was not designed to measure citywide opinion scientifically.
The contest was also political advocacy. organised it to direct attention towards what it calls “future trees”: specimens given enough soil, water, protection and crown space to reach maturity. The party argues that mature trees should be treated as infrastructure because they provide shade, retain rainwater, capture some airborne pollution and support biodiversity. Those claims are broadly consistent with ’s own , although the size of each benefit depends on the species, health, location and surrounding built environment.
That is where the economic dimension begins. ’s administration says a mature urban tree in can quickly be valued at about €25,000, compared with a young replacement that may need decades to develop a similar canopy. This is an indicative appraisal rather than a sale price or a specific valuation of the plane. It nevertheless illustrates why damage caused by excavation, groundwater pumping, vehicle impacts or poorly managed construction can impose a lasting cost on a municipality.
is testing that proposition through , a €10,000 subsidised project running from December 2024 until November 2026 with Surplace, intermunicipal development agency and Howest. The partners are developing a modular protection system and related service for trees on building sites. For contractors and developers, better protection can mean additional planning and site-management obligations; for the city and taxpayers, it may reduce replacement costs and the loss of mature canopy.
The plane already has a recognised role in municipal policy. When presented its 20-year in June 2024, the city cited the specimen as an example of a tree capable of living beyond a century. Its crown projection was measured at 216 square metres. The plan, developed with VIVES University of Applied Sciences, is intended to help more trees grow old through better planting choices, larger unsealed root zones, inventories and neighbourhood-level monitoring.
The city adapted the widely used 3-30-300 planning rule to local conditions. ’s plan envisages, among other goals, three trees visible from homes and accessible green space nearby. For the 30% component, the municipality set a 2042 neighbourhood objective combining at least 15% tree-canopy cover with 30% lower vegetation such as grass and planting beds. argues that this adaptation is less ambitious than a straightforward target of 30% canopy cover and wants mature trees to receive stronger protection in planning decisions.
That difference matters because greenery is not cost-free or conflict-free. Large trees require inspections, pruning, adequate underground space and protection during road or utility works. Their roots can lift paving, while dense crowns can reduce daylight or create maintenance complaints. ’s masterplan acknowledges those tensions and says reports of serious nuisance, including significant loss of light or damaged surfacing, should be assessed through a standard procedure rather than dismissed.
For households and businesses around , the practical benefit is highly local: shade can make a square, pavement or terrace more usable during hot weather, while an attractive public realm can support footfall and neighbourhood appeal. Those effects should not be converted into a precise boost to property prices or retail turnover without local evidence. The defensible conclusion is narrower: removing a healthy mature tree would sacrifice services that cannot be recreated simply by planting a sapling nearby.
The broader lesson is that urban nature is increasingly entering the same accounting conversation as roads, drains and buildings. Municipalities must decide not only how many trees to plant but how many survive long enough to become valuable. The vote has no legal force and creates no new protection by itself, yet it gives residents and planners a visible example against which future choices can be judged.
Attention now shifts from the title to implementation. must continue its tree inventory, prepare neighbourhood tree passports and measure progress towards its 2042 goals. The decisive questions will arise when mature trees conflict with construction, mobility or utility projects: whether officials quantify the value at risk, require workable protection and explain any removal transparently. It is not yet known whether the winning plane will receive a formal designation, additional maintenance measures or protection beyond the rules already applying to it.
Impact
Regional — The result concerns Kortrijk and its sub-municipalities directly. It may strengthen local support for protecting mature trees when the city weighs construction, street redesign and utility work against climate resilience and public-space quality.
Local — The result is directly relevant to Sint-Amandsplein and the wider Kortrijk area, including its sub-municipalities. The winning tree’s reported 216-square-metre crown projection provides substantial shade and neighbourhood amenity that a replacement could not reproduce quickly. Public recognition may give residents and nearby businesses a clearer reference point when street redesign, construction or utility works affect mature trees. It also places local tree maintenance and canopy targets more visibly within debates over municipal spending and scarce public space.
What it means for you
Kortrijk residents can use the city’s tree masterplan and its 2042 neighbourhood targets when assessing planning applications, street works or public-space redesigns near mature trees. People living or operating businesses around Sint-Amandsplein should watch for consultations or works that could affect the plane’s roots, crown or available growing space. For taxpayers, the city’s indicative €25,000 valuation shows that removal is not cost-free, while replacement would still require decades to recreate comparable canopy. The reported vote-total discrepancy remains unresolved but does not change the winner.
Opposing perspectives
- Groen Kortrijk and urban-greening advocates
The organisers regard mature trees as essential climate and public-health infrastructure. They want Kortrijk to preserve large-canopied specimens, provide generous root space, reduce hard surfacing and avoid pruning practices that prevent trees from reaching their full ecological and social value.
- Municipal planners, contractors and affected residents
City policy recognises the benefits of healthy trees but must also address damaged paving, serious loss of daylight, construction access, underground utilities and maintenance. Kortrijk’s masterplan therefore provides an assessment procedure rather than treating the retention of every tree as absolute.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
West Flemish city where the tree election was held and the tree masterplan applies.
Region used in the city’s indicative valuation of mature urban trees.
Belgian province containing Kortrijk.
Kortrijk square where the winning plane tree stands.
Newspaper that reported the result and a vote total exceeding 500.
Show the full library (14)
West Flemish city where the tree election was held and the tree masterplan applies.
Kortrijk square where the winning plane tree stands.
Region used in the city’s indicative valuation of mature urban trees.
Belgian province containing Kortrijk.
Public election in which the Sint-Amandsplein plane was chosen as Kortrijk’s most beautiful tree.
Kortrijk’s 20-year framework for neighbourhood canopy and lower-greenery goals through 2042.
City of Kortrijk initiative forming part of the wider urban-tree policy context.
Newspaper that reported the result and a vote total exceeding 500.
Local green political movement that organised the public tree election.
Regional digital platform associated with the organisers’ information about the election.
Regional intermunicipal organisation whose press centre published information about the election.
Municipal authority responsible for the tree masterplan and CirculariTREE initiative.
Named contributor to Kortrijk’s tree masterplan resource.
Named contributor to Kortrijk’s tree masterplan resource.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceHet Nieuwsblad — Plataan op Sint-Amandsplein is verkozen tot mooiste boom van KortrijkPrimaryprimary· nieuwsblad.be· 18 August 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 45 days ago· Dated
- View sourceDigitale Regio Kortrijk / Leiedal — Verkiezing De Mooiste boom van Kortrijk en deelgemeentenprimary· perscentrum.leiedal.be· 17 August 2026Retrieved 24 August 2026· 46 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Kortrijk Newsroom — Kortrijk launches ambitious tree masterplanofficial· pers.kortrijk.be· 12 June 2024Retrieved 24 August 2026· 842 days ago· Dated
- View sourceCity of Kortrijk — CirculariTREEofficial· kortrijk.beRetrieved 24 August 2026
Related topics
Related to this story
Pulse Insight — This topic connects to 10 associations and 2 funding programmes through the Flanders ecosystem.
Live connections from the Belgium Impulse ecosystem — not recommendations.
This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.