Which tree won tree of the year 2023?

Congratulations to the chestnut tree in Wrexham

The 2023 tree of the year has been announced. The winner is a 484-year-old sweet chestnut tree in Acton Park in Wrexham.

The finalists were chosen by a panel of tree experts and one tree was nominated by the public.

The sweet chestnut will now go on to compete against other trees in the European Tree of the Year contest.

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"A symbol of resilience"

Fans of the tree describe it as "awe-inspiring" and this is what it looks like when it's in full leaf

That is what one member of the Woodland Trust said about Wrexham's sweet chestnut tree.

It has survived through many storms and was even threatened after World War Two.

When the war ended in the 1940s many people struggled for money as the economy had suffered badly, one in three homes had been damaged and rationing was continued due to food shortages.

People were desperate for firewood and tried to chop down trees in their local parks so they could heat their homes.

However, Wrexham's sweet chestnut survived.

Celebrating ancient trees

The common yew tree is believed to have the longest lifespan of trees in the UK. This one in Wales is thought to be nearly 5,000 years old

The Woodland Trust said this year's competition was a celebration of really old trees. Experts sometimes call these veteran trees.

Other finalists included Crouch Oak in Surrey, and a sweet chestnut tree in Greenwich Park in London.

The Woodland Trust says sweet chestnut trees can live up to 1,000 years.

The Sycamore Gap tree, which was cut down earlier this year, won the award in 2016.

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