Full Breakdown
Victoria’s Tree of the Year Competition Highlights Community Heritage
By Drooid · · How we work
Purpose and History of the Competition
The National Trust of Victoria runs the Tree of the Year competition, first launched in 2016 to raise public awareness of notable trees and to advocate for their protection. To qualify, a tree must appear on the National Trust significant tree register, which lists up to 10,000 trees recognized for cultural, scientific, or historic value. More than 40 nominations were received this cycle, and a panel of 12 experts and arboriculturists narrowed the field to nine finalists.
Notable Finalist Trees
The shortlist includes a diverse array of specimens: a flooded gum in Carlton North planted in the 1960s-70s; a golden wych elm that many commuters identify as a landmark; a 167-year-old ginkgo in Geelong Botanic Gardens, originally thought extinct in the wild; a myrtle beech in Apollo Bay formed by the intertwining of two or three trees; an Indian bean tree in Castlemaine’s botanical gardens, noted for its seasonal white flowers and large seed pods; and a Canary Island pine in Ballarat, planted by Jacob Bernstein of the local Hebrew community in 1867 and noted for its longevity.
Voting Timeline and Public Participation
The competition organizers have set the voting deadline for midnight on 22 October, with the winner to be announced on 27 October. Voting is conducted online, allowing the public to support the tree they feel best represents Victoria’s natural heritage.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It’s not always just the biggest or most impressive tree that wins; it’s often one that has a lot of community support behind it.” — Justin Buckley
- “In the 40-odd years that we’ve been keeping the significant tree register, they’re potentially under more threat than they ever have been with densification of cities and more housing; we think protection of trees is as important as it’s ever been,” — Justin Buckley