250-year-old Sant Cugat pine named Monumental Tree of Catalonia

The Catalan government has declared the pine tree in of Sant Cugat del Vallès known as the Pi d'en Xandri as a Monumental Tree of Catalonia.

With this distinction, the administration recognizes the monumental, historical, or scientific value of certain specimens of tree species.

The Pi d'en Xandri celebrated the 250th anniversary of its germination in 2024.

The recognition as a Monumental Tree of Catalonia comes 30 years after it was already declared a tree of local and regional interest.

"Now the Pi d'en Xandri is not only a symbol of Sant Cugat, but a symbol of all of Catalonia," local mayor Josep Maria Vallès celebrated, branding it a "historic" day.

The pine tree was planted in 1774 to mark the boundary of the lands of a family from the area.

More recently it has been a symbol of the fight for the preservation of the natural environment. This symbolism took on additional meaning in 1997 when it was the victim of vandalism. On February 2 of that year someone tried, unsuccessfully, to cut it down and burn it, but the tree was left with serious wounds from which it is still recovering.

The pine has been propped up ever since and forestry technicians check it annually to assess its condition.

Today, the Pi d'en Xandri stands 23 meters tall and has a trunk diameter of 3.20 meters.

Its crown measures about 21 meters wide and has a peculiar shape, with a wayward branch that was isolated from the rest after the snowfall of 1962, when the tree lost part of its branches due to the weight of the snow.

These species of tree can live for more than 400 years.