Amazing oak in Scotland named Tree of the Year

The Skipinnish Oak has been named Tree of the Year 2024 by the Woodland Trust

WOOD you be-LEAF it?

A huge oak tree found in the Scottish Highlands has been voted Tree of the Year by the public.

It is thought to be at least 400 years old, and was completely unknown to tree experts until recently.

The tree had plenty of people rooting for it, winning 21% of the public vote.

It narrowly beat the Darwin Oak in Shrewsbury, which is thought to be 550 years old and close to the home of world-famous scientist Charles Darwin.

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Conservation charity The Woodland Trust, who run the annual competition, say the winning tree was a well-kept secret for a long time.

A member of the Skippinish ceilidh band, performing for a group of tree conservationists, pointed them in the direction of the grand oak.

This allowed the oak to be added to a list of ancient UK trees.

The tree is hidden away in a forest of spruce trees in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands.

The oak is part of a much larger ecosystem in the forest, as it is also home to rare lichens - woodland organisms that are made up of different forms of fungi and algae.

Eepiphytes are growing on the bark of the tree of the year, making it essentials to the biodiversity within the Scottish Highlands.

Andrew Stevenson, from the Skipinnish ceilidh band, said he was "delighted" that the tree was so popular.

"The tree has held a special place in my heart since my father first described it to me, and the first time I saw it many years ago," he said.

His band have said they will be writing a song in the tree's honour.

The public were given the chance to vote on 12 trees on the theme of "magnificent oaks", 11 of which had been chosen by a panel of tree experts and one nominated by members of the public on social media.

The tree will now go through to the European Tree of the Year contest.

The Skipinnish ceilidh band say they are writing a song in the tree's honour