Agency by William Gibson 
A mere sapling beat a local veteran to be named UK tree of the year.
Scotland’s Skipinnish Oak beat Marton’s famous oak for the honour in a competition that aimed to highlight the importance of oak trees.
The Woodland Trust, which runs the competition, chose 12 ancient oaks for the shortlist for tree of the year, to highlight their importance.
Oaks can live for more than 1,500 years and support 2,300 species of wildlife. The UK boasts more ancient oaks than the rest of western Europe combined.
The 12 finalists included trees selected by an expert panel and one tree nominated by the public.
The Skipinnish Oak won with 21% of the vote. The 400-year-old tree stands tall in an airy clearing amid a dark spruce plantation in the heart of Lochaber, Scotland.
The tree was discovered by chance by members of a Celtic band of that name who were playing a nearby gig for the Native Woodland Discussion Group.
The Skipinnish oak is one of the largest trees of its kind in the region, which has been populated by nonnative timber forests. It is a fragment of the ancient ecosystem and provides a home to diverse lichens including the rare black-eyed Susan.
The Skipinnish band members said they were delighted the tree won and plan to compose a new song in honour of the mighty oak.
The upstart beat the 1,200-year-old Marton oak in the competition. The tree has a girth of 14.02 metres (46ft) measured at 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) off the ground, making it the UK’s largest and widest tree since the collapse of the Newland Oak in Gloucestershire. The tree is thought to be in the latter stages of its lifespan, as most of the heartwood has rotted away. The tree split into sections centuries ago, but they have one and the same root system.
Runner-up was the Darwin Oak of Shrewsbury with 20% of the vote, and Lincolnshire’s Bowthorpe Oak came in third place with 14% of votes. The tally for Marton’s oak was not given by the trust.
More than 18,000 people voted for their favourite tree and the winner will go on to represent the UK in the European tree of the year contest Dr Kate Lewthwaite from the Woodland Trust said: “The Skipinnish Oak is a magnificent example of the natural heritage we strive to protect, and its recognition as UK tree of the year shines a light on the incredible biodiversity that our trees support. We encourage everyone to celebrate and preserve these vital features of our environment.”
Skipinnish is a traditional Scottish band from the Gàidhealtachd (Highlands), singing primarily in English. Both the band and brand Skipinnish was created by Angus MacPhail and Andrew Stevenson in 1999 who were both studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
