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UK's Toughest Trees Vie for Tree of the Year Crown
22 Jul
Summary
- Ten resilient trees shortlisted for UK's Tree of the Year award.
- Nominees include an oak hit by a WWII bomber and a yew struck by a cannonball.
- Public voting open until late September to choose the favorite tree.
This year's Tree of the Year competition in the UK features ten extraordinary trees, celebrated for their remarkable resilience. These venerable specimens have faced and survived significant challenges, from historical conflicts to environmental extremes.
The nominees showcase incredible survival stories. An oak in Rutland, known as the 'Bomber Oak,' bears scars from a World War Two Lancaster Bomber, while a yew in East Sussex, potentially 4,000 years old, famously survived a Civil War cannonball impact. Another contender, the Bollihope Burn Birch, precariously clings to a cliffside in County Durham.
Further highlighting their tenacity, the list includes a yew atop a Devon church tower and the 'Preston Twin,' an English elm surviving Dutch elm disease. Public wildcard entries feature the Donnington Oak, which weathered a Civil War siege, and the Balloch Castle ash, a resilient specimen near Loch Lomond that has endured lightning, storms, and even a music festival.
Other notable nominees include the 'Bendy Tree' in Northern Ireland, shaped by harsh coastal winds, an isolated oak in mid-Wales, and the 'Earlstoun Lightning Oak' in Dumfries and Galloway. Actor David Oakes remarked that these trees "defied the odds in extraordinary ways." Voting for the public's favorite is open until late September, with the winner announced in early October and progressing to the European Tree of the Year finals.
