A distinctive wych elm in County Down has been named the UK’s Tree of the Year 2026, achieving a historic first for Northern Ireland. The 150-year-old tree, locally known as the “Bendy Tree,” secured the title by capturing more than 30% of the national public vote in the Woodland Trust’s annual competition.
The competition’s theme, “Against All Odds,” highlighted trees that demonstrated resilience and survival in the face of adversity. The Newrytown tree stood out among nine other shortlisted entries, which included a Devon yew growing from a church tower, a lightning-struck Scottish ash, and a Surrey yew containing an English Civil War cannonball.
The elm is situated on the central promenade in Newcastle, where it has grown for a century and a half. It is the sole survivor of a row of trees originally planted in the 19th Century to shield the area from harsh sea breezes. When the remaining trees were felled during redevelopment in the 1980s, the relentless wind forced this particular specimen to grow its trunk almost horizontally.
John Martin, the Woodland Trust’s Northern Ireland director, praised the tree’s resilience. “It’s a great testament to the resilience of nature,” he said, noting that the council had installed benches beneath the canopy so visitors can enjoy shade and views of the Mourne Mountains and the sea.
May Chemais, the trust’s Ancient Tree inventory lead, described the tree as “astonishing and bizarre” due to its ability to withstand extreme winds for over 100 years. She emphasized that older trees often become part of a community’s cultural fabric, providing both physical shelter and shared stories.
Beyond its unusual shape, the tree has also proven biologically resilient. As a native elm, it survived Dutch elm disease, which wiped out approximately 30 million elms across the UK during the 1960s.
The victory comes against a backdrop of low woodland coverage in Northern Ireland, which sits at just 8.7%—one of the lowest rates in Europe. While Scotland, Wales, England, and the Republic of Ireland all exceed this figure, a new action plan aims to reach 12% woodland cover by 2050, though current planting rates would need to triple to meet the target.
I visit Newcastle often and never realized this was one of the original row. What a resilient survivor!
Interesting win, but how can we celebrate one tree when NI has such alarmingly low woodland coverage?
Does anyone know if the Woodland Trust plans to plant more elms to combat Dutch elm disease locally?
Wait, it grew horizontally because of the wind? That is genuinely fascinating and completely bizarre!
Absolutely thrilled that a Northern Ireland tree finally took home the title! The Bendy Tree is truly iconic.