A woodland walk near Edinburgh leads locals to a tree that could soon be crowned the UK's Tree of the Year.
A shortlist of 12 trees has been compiled for the annual contest run by the Woodland Trust from the charity's "hall of fame" for very old and important trees, the Ancient Tree Inventory (ATI).
A panel of experts picked their favourites from hundreds of ancient and veteran trees, described as "cathedrals of nature", which have been recorded by volunteers since the pandemic began.
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The public can now vote for their favourite tree to win the Tree of the Year competition for 2022, and go on to compete for the UK in the European Tree of the Year contest next year.
And the only Scottish tree to make the list, The Portal Tree in Loanhead, Midlothian, is a rowan, PA reports, which feature heavily in folklore - and which 'suggests a portal to another world'.
Here's the Trust say about the remarkable tree, which grows in the landscaped grounds of Mavisbank House, one of Scotland’s most important historic houses from the 1700s.
"This ancient rowan has a huge girth and extensive decay. The striking tree has bent over to form a full archway which now has growth sprouting from its top.
"Rowans feature heavily in folklore and although it’s not known if this tree was deliberately trained into this shape or formed naturally, it’s easy to imagine it being a portal to another world!"
This year, the Woodland Trust is using the competition to highlight the importance of rare ancient and veteran trees, which they warn mostly have no legal protection.
That is despite these trees, such as our oaks which are home for 329 species, being a haven for wildlife, important carbon stores and historically and cultural significant.
The Woodland Trust is calling on UK governments to give legal protection to some of the most ancient and valuable trees by giving them heritage status, introducing strong, consistent policy protection for old trees and increasing support for land managers and farmers to care for them.
Woodland Trust head of campaigning Adam Cormack said: "We believe that now is the time to give these living legends the legal status they deserve.
"We all want to be able help to protect these wonderful old trees for centuries to come."
Competition judge and ATI lead Tom Reed said: "The enthusiasm for ancient and veteran trees and the growing number of records being submitted to the ATI in the past couple of years showed just how much people love and value their trees.
"We selected the trees based on their size and significance for their species and also looked for trees steeped in history as well as trees that had high ecological, aesthetic or cultural value.
"It's over to the public to pick a favourite from that impressive list."
To see all the trees and vote for your favourite, you can visit the Woodland Trust website https://http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk. Voting is open until noon on Monday October 31.
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