The competition is open to any living tree in the UK, with Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales each having individual contests for the first time.
The winning tree from each region will go on to compete in the European Tree of the Year competition, organised by the Environmental Partnership Association.
Last year’s UK-wide winner, the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, finished sixth in the 2014 European contest.
Entries can be submitted on the Woodland Trust website until Sunday July 12. The judges are particularly interested in stories with interesting stories behind them. They also advise that permission be sought from the landowner before a tree is entered into the contest.
An independent panel of experts will then make a shortlist from the submitted entries, before the winner is decided by public vote.
Potential entries that spring to mind include the Dark Hedges, Stranocum, which was featured in Game of Thrones, or one of the 26,422 record-breaking trees planted at Gransha Woods, Derry. Volunteers, including Nadine Coyle from Girls Aloud, planted the trees in December 2009 to break the world record for the largest number of trees planted in one hour.
One of the more unusual contenders might be a century old ‘fairy thorn’ growing at Ormeau Golf Club. According to Denis McKnight, the club’s secretary, it is has been there longer than anyone can remember and that the grounds keepers will not dare to even trim it.
“The club was opened in 1893 so it’s at least 122 years old,” he said. “If you hit the tree and don’t apologise you’re guaranteed to have a bad game.”
“When people visit the club we have to warn them about the fairy thorn. We tell them to nod to it as they go past and they have to apologise if they hit it.”
