One of two trees in Courier Country could be named the nation’s favourite.
An oak planted by Andrew Carnegie in Dunfermline’s Pittencrieff Park and a Perthshire spruce pulled from the mud of no-man’s land in World War I are among six shortlisted for the crown of Scotland’s Tree of the Year 2017.
David McCabe’s Spruce, at Abercairny Estate, Crieff, is a living memorial as one of several saplings pulled from the mud at Passchendaele by the lieutenant and sent home.
Meanwhile, the mighty Carnegie Oak was planted in 1904 by the famous industrialist and philanthropist who as a boy lived close to The Glen, as the park is known locally.
People have been urged to vote for their favourite in the competition run by The Woodland Trust with support from the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The victorious arbor will be awarded a £1,000 care package and will compete for the UK-wide title against the winners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Carnegie’s Oak and McCabe’s Spruce face competition from the Beauly Sycamore, Orkney’s The Big Tree, the Greenock Cut Oak and the Old Holly Bush, at Castle Fraser, in Aberdeenshire.
The former was nominated by Pittencrieff Park Steering Group.
After emigrating to the United States in 1848 Carnegie became one of the richest men in the world and in retirement distributed his wealth to causes close to his heart, including giving Pittencrieff Park to the people of Dunfermline.
The spruce was nominated by Abercairny Estate and Crieff Remembers.
McCabe died from wounds in 1917 so never returned to see his saplings grow to splendid maturity.
He sent them in an ammunition box with a letter which read: “..owing to the amount of shell, rifle and machine gun fire which the place has been subject to, practically nothing is alive which is any taller than the trees I sent ….. some of the fiercest fighting of the war having taken place in their vicinity”.
Beccy Speight, Woodland Trust chief executive, said: “Once again the public have nominated many fantastic examples of trees with truly inspirational stories, which highlight how intrinsic trees are in peoples’ lives.
“It’s a reminder of why we need to care for individual trees and that they still need true protection in law from development or mismanagement.”
Voting opens on Monday, September 11, and runs for a month.
The winner will be announced at the Scottish Parliament in December.
