An oak tree formed like an elephant and the oak with the largest girth in the UK have actually been shortlisted for the yearly Tree of the Year competitors.
The Woodland Trust runs the yearly competitors to elevate understanding of the UK’s old and at-risk trees.
With its 2024 competition, the charity is campaigning to make certain even more durable lawful security for the nation’s most priceless trees, and is showcasing old oaks as they are a precious types and commonly live for greater than 1,500 years.
Oaks, the depend on states, assistance 2,300 various types of wild animals, and the UK has a lot more old oaks than the remainder of western Europe integrated.
Last year, a 480-year-old wonderful chestnut in Wrexham that has actually held up against tornados, fire wood enthusiasts and, progressively, events and outings under its boughs won the distinction. Sadly, some previous victors have actually been damaged: the Sycamore Gap tree (2016) close to Hadrian’s Wall was dropped in 2014, and the Cubbington pear in Warwickshire (2015) was sliced down to give way for the HS2 train line.
This year’s checklist has the Marton oak in Cheshire, which flaunts a massive 14.02-metre girth, believed to be the largest in the UK.
While 11 of the trees on the checklist were picked by a specialist panel, there is one public election: the Elephant oak at the Old Sloden inclosure in the New Forest.
This tree takes its name from its uncommon form, and was chosen by a fan, Claire Sheppard, that claimed: “This is my favourite oak tree to photograph at Old Sloden inclosure, New Forest. It’s a pollard oak known as the Elephant oak due to its massive trunk. I hike for around 5km from Abbotswell car park to get there and back, and this wood always gives me goose bumps. It’s not the easiest place to reach and hence it’s always very quiet; I get a real sense of peace and solitude here.”
Dr Kate Lewthwaite, the person scientific research supervisor at the Woodland Trust, claimed: “We chose the iconic oak because it captures people’s imaginations – from their leaves to their acorns, these trees are ingrained in our heritage – and the ancients are so impressive in terms of their sheer size and age. Some oaks that are alive today were already centuries old at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, or Charles Darwin.
“It’s humbling to think how many events these trees have lived through, and that reaching full maturity they can stand for hundreds of years as ancient trees – all the while continuing to provide vital habitat as they hollow and produce dead wood. Each individual oak is like a unique, miniature nature reserve. There are so many species that live and rely on them, and have evolved alongside them, it is incredible.”
Voting for the Woodland Trust’s 2024 Tree of the Year is open up until 21 October using the Woodland Trust website, with a champion introduced on 29 October.
Take a bough: the tree shortlist
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Marton oak, Cheshire
Sessile oak (quercus petraea) / Approximate age: 1,200 years/ Girth: 14.02 metres. -
Bowthorpe oak, Lincolnshire
English oak (quercus robur) / Estimated age: 1000 years/ Girth: 13.38 metres.
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Gregynog oak, Powys
Estimated age: 500 years/ Girth: 9 metres. -
Queen Elizabeth oak, West Sussex
Sessile oak ( quercus petraea) / Estimated age: 800-1,000 years/ Girth: 13.18 metres. -
Skipinnish oak, Lochaber, Scottish Highlands
Sessile oa k (quercus petraea) / Estimated age: unidentified. -
The Michael, Midlothian
Estimated age: 1,000+ years/ Girth: 10.32 metres.
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Tea Party oak, Suffolk
English oak ( quercus robur) / Estimated age: unidentified/ Girth: 12.80 metres. -
King John oak, Somerset
Estimated age: 1,000 years/ Girth: 10.74 metres. -
Darwin oak, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Estimated age: 550 years/ Girth: 7 metres. -
Capon tree, Scottish Borders
English oak ( quercus robur)/ Estimated age: 700-1,000 years/ Girth: 9.40 metres.
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Castle Archdale Oak, Co unty Fermanagh
Sessile oak (quercus petraea) / Estimated age: unidentified/ Girth: 7.68 metres. -
Public wildcard election: Elephant oak, Old Sloden inclosure, Hampshire
Estimated age: unidentified.
