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A unique wych elm located on the central promenade in Newcastle, County Down, has been named the United Kingdom’s Tree of the Year for 2026. This achievement marks the first time a tree from Northern Ireland has received this distinction. The elm, which has stood for 150 years, garnered over 30% of the national public vote in the Woodland Trust’s annual competition. This year’s theme, “Against All Odds,” celebrated trees across the UK that exemplify nature’s resilience, beauty, and surprising ability to endure challenging conditions.
Known locally as the Bendy Tree, this wych elm triumphed over nine other noteworthy contenders. Among them were a yew that has grown from a Devon church tower’s masonry for two centuries, a Scottish ash that survived a lightning strike, and a Surrey yew containing an English Civil War cannonball. The wych elm itself is the only surviving tree from a 19th-century row originally planted along the promenade to shield the area from harsh sea winds. While the rest of the trees were cut down during redevelopment in the 1980s, this elm’s trunk has grown almost horizontally due to the persistent wind. Despite its unusual shape, it continues to offer shelter, with its canopy shading a bench placed beneath it by the local council.
Beyond weathering powerful winds, the tree has also endured biological threats. As a native elm, it has survived the Dutch elm disease outbreak that devastated approximately 30 million UK elms in the 1960s. John Martin, the Woodland Trust’s Northern Ireland director, praised the tree’s resilience and expressed pride in seeing such a venerable tree receive recognition. May Chemais, leader of the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree inventory, described the Bendy Tree as “astonishing and bizarre,” emphasizing how it has adapted to its environment over more than a century, providing both shade and joy to the community. Chemais highlighted how older trees like this are woven into local culture, offering not only protection but also stories that connect people to their surroundings.
Northern Ireland’s woodland coverage is notably low, standing at just 8.7%, which is less than other parts of the UK and even the Republic of Ireland. Scotland, for instance, has 19% woodland cover, Wales 15%, England 10%, and the Republic of Ireland 11%. To address this, a tree-planting action plan has been set with the goal of increasing woodland cover to 12% by 2050. However, current tree-planting efforts will need to more than triple to meet this target, underscoring the ongoing challenge of improving Northern Ireland’s forested areas
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