Tree of the Year 2023: Black poplar in Gorton nominated for award

The charity said the Gorton tree was one of only a few thousand remaining in the UK

A "reminder of Manchester's industrial heritage" has been shortlisted for the UK's Tree of the Year 2023.

Wildlife charity Woodland Trust (WT) said a "brilliant" black poplar which stands in Gorton's Annie Lees Park was one of 13 nominated for the prize.

A representative said the species was one which thrived in the Industrial Revolution to such an extent that they became known as Manchester poplars.

However, they said the Gorton tree now stood as a "really rare" survivor.

The charity said the age of the tree was not known but black poplars, which are endangered in the UK, can live for up to 200 years.

It said the Gorton tree was one of only a few thousand remaining in the UK.

Lead campaigner Naomi Tilley said it was "a brilliant tree and really rare".

"It is very old, 4.07m (13ft) around the trunk and is one of the trees around the city which has great ecological value," she added.

Tree of the Year 2023 shortlist

• Greenwich Park sweet chestnut, London

• Holm oak blitz tree, Exeter, Devon

• Cathedral foxglove tree, Lichfield, Staffordshire

• Lakeside holm oak, Leamington Spa

• Crouch oak, Addlestone, Surrey

• Gorton Park poplar, Manchester

• Grantham oak, Grantham, Lincolnshire

• Chelsea Road elm, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

• Plymouth pear, Plymouth, Devon

• Sweet chestnut, Wrexham

• Highland Gateway walnut, Perth

• Belvoir oak, Belfast

• Library holm oak, Westbury, Wiltshire

Black poplars were planted in Greater Manchester in the 19th Century as an antidote to the air pollution and in the 1930s, a second wave were planted as part of a scheme to give local men work.

In 2019, a scheme to bring the species back to Greater Manchester was started by conservation group City of Trees and Chester Zoo, which saw saplings planted in each of the region's 10 boroughs and across the wider North West.

The WT representative said the nominated tree was "a reminder of Manchester's industrial heritage".

"As manufacturing in the city boomed, soot and air pollutants from coal-burning factories killed many of the city's trees, but the black poplar was found to thrive despite the conditions," they said.

"It was easy enough to grow too and became a familiar sight in the North West in the 20th Century, so much so the tree is also known as the Manchester poplar."

However, they said that while the species "tolerated pollution well", disease had "sadly proved fatal for most".

"Over the last 20 years, many black poplars have succumbed to the symptoms and this specimen in Gorton's Annie Lees Park is one of only a few thousand remaining," they added.

Voting is open until 15 October and the winner will be announced on 19 October.