A 150-year-old bent tree in Newcastle, County Down, has been named the UK's Tree of the Year for 2026. The famous "Bendy Tree" is a wych elm that grows almost horizontally over a public walking path. It is the first time a tree in Northern Ireland has won this national competition, earning over 30% of the public vote.
The competition was organized by the conservation charity Woodland Trust under the theme "Against All Odds." The tree was planted in the 19th century to protect people on the seaside promenade from strong coastal winds. Over time, those powerful winds forced its trunk to grow sideways, creating a unique natural canopy. Other trees in the row were cut down during redevelopment in the 1980s, but this elm survived.
The Bendy Tree also resisted Dutch elm disease, a fungal infection that killed about 30 million elm trees across the UK in the 1960s. Local council officials have placed a bench under the tree so visitors can rest in the shade while looking out at the sea and the Mourne Mountains. Experts from the Woodland Trust noted that the tree's remarkable survival story resonated with voters across the country.
The victory comes as Northern Ireland works to address low woodland levels. Northern Ireland currently has one of the lowest woodland cover rates in Europe at 8.7%. Local plans aim to increase tree coverage to 12% by 2050, which will require tree-planting rates to more than triple in the coming years.