Rugby fans will be able to plant oak trees on behalf of the national rugby team under the "Plant an oak tree for Romania's Oaks" campaign promoted by the MaiMultVerde environmental association.

MaiMultVerde entered this month a partnership agreement with the Romanian Rugby Federation under which supporters of the national team can purchase oak trees along with rugby match tickets, or directly, on the association's platform.

The campaign is running throughout the year, and the trees purchased by the team fans will be planted in volunteer actions under the association's Gift a Tree program.

"Like sports, trees contribute to our health and well-being. Just like rugby, oak trees inspire strength and resistance. With each oak tree planted, we offer both ourselves and the 'Oaks' on the field more oxygen, and we all know how important a breath of fresh air can be in a rugby match. Starting today, each of us can contribute to the growth of the national oak team," says Doru Mitrana, president of the MaiMultiVerde Association.

In his turn, president of the Romanian Rugby Federation Alin Petrache says that rugby is about solidarity, which is one of its fundamental values.

The oak leaf became the emblem of Romanian rugby in 1979, when the then president of the Romanian Rugby Federation, former famous flanker Viorel Morariu, decided after consulting with experts to adopt this symbol instead of the country's coat of arms.

The oldest oak in Romania is over 900 years old and grows on the outskirts of the village of Mercheasa, 79 kilometers from Brasov.

Gift a Tree is the longest running program of the MaiMultiVerde Association. With the support of partners, sponsors and individual donors, more than 165,000 trees of various species have been planted so far on over 20 hectares of former degraded agricultural land. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Florin Marin; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)