‘Ingrained in our heritage’: UK’s ancient oaks showcased in Tree of the Year contest | Trees and forests

An oak tree shaped like an elephant and the oak with the widest girth in the UK have been shortlisted for the annual Tree of the Year competition.

The Woodland Trust runs the annual competition to raise awareness of the UK’s ancient and at-risk trees.

With its 2024 contest, the charity is campaigning to ensure more robust legal protection for the country’s most precious trees, and is showcasing ancient oaks as they are a beloved species and often live for more than 1,500 years.

Oaks, the trust says, support 2,300 different species of wildlife, and the UK has more ancient oaks than the rest of western Europe combined.

Last year, a 480-year-old sweet chestnut in Wrexham that has withstood storms, firewood collectors and, increasingly, parties and picnics beneath its boughs won the accolade. Sadly, some past winners have been destroyed: the Sycamore Gap tree (2016) beside Hadrian’s Wall was felled last year, and the Cubbington pear in Warwickshire (2015) was chopped down to make way for the HS2 railway line.

This year’s list contains the Marton oak in Cheshire, which boasts a gigantic 14.02-metre girth, thought to be the widest in the UK.

While 11 of the trees on the list were chosen by an expert panel, there is one public nomination: the Elephant oak at the Old Sloden inclosure in the New Forest.

This tree takes its name from its unusual shape, and was nominated by a supporter, Claire Sheppard, who said: “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 citizen science manager at the Woodland Trust, said: “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 until 21 October via the Woodland Trust website, with a winner announced on 29 October.

Take a bough: the tree shortlist

• 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.

• 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 oak (quercus petraea) / Estimated age: unknown.

• The Michael, Midlothian
  Estimated age: 1,000+ years / Girth: 10.32 metres.

• Tea Party oak, Suffolk
  English oak (quercus robur) / Estimated age: unknown / 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.

• Castle Archdale Oak, County Fermanagh
  Sessile oak (quercus petraea) / Estimated age: unknown / Girth: 7.68 metres.

• Public wildcard nomination: Elephant oak, Old Sloden inclosure, Hampshire
  Estimated age: unknown.