Monumental Trees

Horta de Sant Joan must be the population with the most Monumental Trees in Catalonia (excepting the Masjoan Botanical Garden in Espinelves): six within its municipal term. If we add the three monumental trees of the neighbouring town of Arnes, we can conclude that the region of Terra Alta is very prolific in the appearance of exceptional trees. We started with two of his monumental pine trees and perhaps his best known tree, Lo Parot.

It is a giant tree located about 500m from the outflow of Horta in the direction of Bot, accessed by a right-hand starting road, at the kilometer point 3. We have to follow 50 metres to the
Buildings, where a footpath leads us to the bottom bank to the right, where the tree is located.
Lo Parot was declared a monumental tree in 1990. It is located at an altitude of 480 m, has a barrel volt at 1.30 m from the ground at 7.45 m and a 15 m strain volt. The current head diameter is 9 m, although before the Civil War it occupied all the width of the bank where it is located, exceeding it.
It is an olive (European Olea) of an unknown variety today, which is characterized by having
the leaves and fruit are somewhat more elongated than the variety called Empeltre, traditionally grown throughout the region and in Lower Aragon. With regard to its age, it is believed to be a tree over two thousand years old, which would take us in time until the time of the Iberians and Romans.
Thanks are due to its current owner and to the farmers who have mined it over time, for their efforts to
keep it and grow it to this day.

• Declared Monumental Tree: 1990
• Owner: J. Bay Alcoverro
• Municipal term: St John’s Horta
• ED50 UTM coordinates (m): X 275022 Y 4542480
• Total height: 8 m
• Cannon Flight: 7.45 m
• Medium Heading: 8.5 m
• Estimated age: 2000 years

It is a large white pine also declared a monumental tree, located in the Pesells game near the main road and 4 km from the Col d.en Sabaté. It is 19 m high and 4.40 m (4.40 m) high, which corresponds to a diameter of d.1,37 m and 5,60 m (4,37 ft) short. The thick branches, between 10 and 12 m, descend and rest on the ground, typical of this type of old trees that have not grown isolated. The weight of its own branching, exacerbated by frosts, snows and winds, gives it a phantasmagoric appearance.

• Declared Monumental Tree: 1992
• Municipal term: St John’s Market Garden (the Pessells)
• ED50 UTM coordinates (m): X 275022 Y 4542480
• Total height: 19 m
• Flying cannon: 4.3 m
• Medium Heading: 21.5 m