The Earlstoun Lightning Oak in Dumfries and Galloway and the Balloch Castle Ash near Loch Lomond have been shortlisted for the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year award. The competition celebrates Britain's most remarkable, rare and resilient trees, with this year's theme Against All Odds highlighting trees that have survived extraordinary challenges such as natural disasters and wartime destruction.
Earlstoun Lightning Oak
The Earlstoun Lightning Oak, recorded as 300 years old in 1850, earned its place after surviving a lightning strike that would have destroyed many other trees. It has a thick scar from being almost split in two, with the trunk growing at an angle to help it rebalance.
Balloch Castle Ash
The Balloch Castle Ash, selected as one of two public wildcard entries, stands in the grounds of the semi-derelict Balloch Castle overlooking Loch Lomond and is expected to be over 150 years old. The tree has endured a lightning strike, repeated storms, ash dieback disease, millions of visitors, and even crowds attending an Oasis concert in 1996.
Other Contenders
Other shortlisted trees include the Bomber Oak in Rutland, struck by a Lancaster bomber during World War II; a yew in East Sussex up to 4,000 years old that survived a cannonball hit during the English Civil War; a downy birch in County Durham clinging to a cliff edge; the Bendy Tree in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, grown horizontally due to coastal winds; and a yew growing from a church tower in Devon for about 200 years.
Public Voting
Public voting opens on July 22, with the winner announced in early October. The winner will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals. Actor and Woodland Trust ambassador David Oakes said: "Most things survive by fleeing. A tree, rooted for life to a single patch of ground, doesn't get that option. So trees have perfected the opposite: the art of weathering whatever arrives. But a few are frankly show-offs. The 10 nominees for Tree of the Year have all defied the odds in extraordinary ways, from clinging to cliffs and church towers, to enduring collisions and cannonballs."
