Capturing over 30% of the public vote, a 150-year-old wych elm on the seaside promenade in Newcastle, County Down, has won the UK Tree of the Year 2026 title as the first tree in Northern Ireland to win the annual Woodland Trust competition since its launch in 2014.
Coastal Winds Bend the Wych Elm
The winning wych elm sits prominently on the central promenade in Newcastle, County Down, where its trunk has grown almost horizontal after more than a century and a half of exposure to harsh marine gusts. Planted in the mid-19th century as part of a row of trees designed to shield the original promenade from sea breezes, the specimen survived widespread clearings during town redevelopments in the 1980s that felled its neighbors as the last one standing.
John Martin, Northern Ireland director of the Woodland Trust, expressed enthusiasm for the victory and noted that tens of thousands of voters clearly shared his appreciation for this whimsical specimen. The local council installed a bench beneath its sweeping horizontal branches, giving visitors a shaded spot to view the sea and the Mournes.
Newcastle Elm Resists Disease
The fungal pathogen, accidentally imported from North America in the 1960s, destroyed an estimated 30 million elms across the UK during its second major outbreak, yet the Newcastle elm resisted Dutch elm disease.
Running from July to September, the Woodland Trust’s annual public contest centered on the theme Against All Odds.
The Bendy Tree competed against a shortlist of 10 trees, securing more than 30% of the tens of thousands of votes cast.
May Chemais, ancient tree inventory lead for the Woodland Trust, described the victor in vivid terms alongside contenders like the Bollihope Burn Birch perched precariously off a cliff in County Durham, a 150-year-old Balloch Castle ash standing by Loch Lomond that weathered lightning, multiple storms, ash dieback, heavy visitor footfall, and even an Oasis concert, and the Preston Twin in Brighton living four centuries despite neighboring elms falling to disease.
When you look at this astonishing and bizarre tree, there’s no doubt about what it has endured. We’ve all been through changes and hardships that have shaped who we are: I think that’s why the Bendy Tree has struck a chord with people.
May Chemais, ancient tree inventory lead for the Woodland Trust
Northern Ireland Trails European Woodland Rates
Northern Ireland holds one of the lowest rates of woodland cover in Europe at just 8.7%, trailing behind Scotland at 19%, Wales at 15%, England at 10%, and the Republic of Ireland at 11%.
Officials launched a tree-planting action plan aiming for 12% woodland cover by 2050. Current planting rates must more than triple to keep that target on track.
Chemais encouraged the public to protect ancient and veteran trees by recording them on the Woodland Trust’s ancient tree inventory or by contributing financial support to the organization. Laura Chow, head of charities at Postcode Lottery, which backed the competition, emphasized that the poll highlights the special connection people have with the nature and heritage on their doorstep.
UK Competes in European Finals
Owned by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, the newly crowned tree will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals scheduled for next year. Meanwhile, the Woodland Trust also launched its Igniting Innovation competition this week.
Will current planting rates triple in time to reach the 12% woodland cover target by 2050?