Scottish trees which survived lightning strikes and Oasis concert up for Tree of the Year
The ‘toughest trees’ in Scotland have been named
A tree that survived multiple lightning strikes and another which has lived through ash dieback, footfall from millions of visitors and an legendary Oasis concert are two Scottish contenders in this year’s Tree of the Year contest.
The Balloch Castle ash, standing on the lawn of the semi-derelict castle in Balloch Country Park at Loch Lomond, has rightly earned its place among the league of toughest trees given its fortitude in the face of tree disease and high people pressure at the beauty spot, not least on a weekend in August 1996 when Oasis played to around 40,000 people in its shadow.
The ash and the Earlstoun Lightning Oak, near St John’s Town of Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway, have been named amongst the country’s toughest trees and are now in the running to be named the nation’s favourite.
The oak in Dumfries and Galloway has stood firm for more than 400 years, with legend prevailing that it has endured multiple electrical storms, as well as the ferocious Convenanting history of the area. The tree, it is said, provided a convenient hiding place for Alexander Gordon of Earlstoun, a key figure in the rebellion against the Crown during the late 17th Century, as he tried to slip in and out of his castle home.
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The two Scots trees join other mighty specimens in the Woodland Trust’s annual competition, which aims to celebrate and raise awareness for rare, ancient or at-risk trees across the country.
Other contenders include ab oak tree in Rutland that faced a crash from a Second World War bomber, a downy birch clinging to a cliff in County Durham and a yew in East Sussex that could be 4,000 years old and was hit by a cannonball in the English Civil War are among the final 10 contenders for the title.
Actor and nature podcaster David Oakes, who is a Woodland Trust ambassador, 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.
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“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.”
They have been chosen to help highlight nature’s great survivors in line with this year’s theme “against all odds”.
Of the 10 shortlisted, a panel of experts selected eight trees of differing ages and species, while the public chose two as a wildcard entry, including the Balloch ash.
The so-called “Bomber Oak” in Rutland features a slight dip in the top of the canopy as well as twisted misshapen branches after it was hit by a Lancaster Bomber during the Second World War – but was also nearly lost when a water company sought to install pipes in a field decades later.
Another shortlisted tree – the Crowhurst Yew in East Sussex – survived a direct hit from a Civil War cannonball that villagers later discovered in 1820.
The public can vote for their favourite tree until late September via the Woodland Trust website, and the winner will be announced in early October – before progressing to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals.
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