Ten tenacious trees that have defied gravity, faced the elements and even taken a hit from a cannonball are contending to be crowned the Woodland Trust’s UK Tree of the Year.
The Woodland Trust is inviting people to vote for Tree of the Year 2026, with ten spectacular specimens from across the UK fighting for the title.
This year's competition is about celebrating nature's great survivors, and has been given the theme ‘against the odds’. These arboreal miracles have faced plane crashes, Dutch elm disease, diggers, the English Civil War and cliff edges. But whatever has come their way, they have stood, clung and stayed alive for centuries – even millennia.
Image: The Bendy Tree in County Down has survived for at least 150 years, despite growing at an unusual angle - Michael Cooper Photography
May Chemais, who runs the Ancient Tree Inventory at the Woodland Trust, said: “Trees can be both tough and flexible, as the shortlist proves. Some, like yews, will rearrange their structure to keep on living, and we have two great examples of this remarkable species in the running for Tree of the Year. One is thought to have lived for 4,000 years, despite getting hit by a cannonball and its immense hollow trunk being used as a meeting room – with a door! Another defies the odds by perching, seemingly impossibly, at the top of a church tower, where it has been for two centuries.
These are just two of the fascinating trees that you can vote for, and we hope people will enjoy discovering all the incredible stories of resilience behind our nominees this year.”
The Woodland Trust opened two wildcard spots to keen-eyed members of the public this year, as wildcards are on a winning streak, dominating the competition for the past two years. Both in Scotland, the remote Skipinnish Oak was crowned in 2024 and Glasgow’s Argyle Street Ash was the most recent winner in 2025.
The 2026 wildcard nominees are the Balloch Castle Ash, which sits on the southern shore of Loch Lomond, and the Donnington Oak in Berkshire, which is centuries old and lived through a 20-month Civil War siege.
Woodland Trust ambassador, the actor and nature podcaster, 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 ten 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. Trees have outlived the dinosaurs. The big question now is: which tenacious British tree would you like to see crowned champion?”
The Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year competition is once again supported by players of the Postcode Lottery.
Ryan Mackie, deputy head of charities at Postcode Lottery, said: “We're delighted Postcode Lottery players are supporting Tree of the Year 2026, and what incredible stories of surviving and thriving against the odds the shortlisted trees have. We look forward to seeing which tree comes out on top in the public vote."
Voting is open until 5pm on 29 September via the Woodland Trust website, with a winner announced in early October.
