A LOCAL Rowan crowned Scotland’s tree of the year in 2020 has been rooted on the international stage after being named as one of the most extraordinary in Europe.
The European Tree of the Year competition published a list of its 14 winners for 2021 last week, revealing that ‘The Survivor’, a rowan tree situated on a stream bank in the Carrifran Valley near Moffat, came in 11th place with 31,197 votes.
It has been long been a symbol of ecological restoration for the team at Borders Forest Trust, who named it after completing the purchase of Carrifran Wildwood in 2000. In the two decades since beginning conservation work, the trust has planted 600,000 trees to maintain the area’s natural beauty and ensure that The Survivor is not without a forest of friends.
Last year, it beat scores of other branchy nominees from around the country in the Scottish leg of the contest, winning £1000 to go toward nourishing, signposting or celebrating the tree.
Fi Martynoga, a long term Carrifran supporter who nominated the tree said: “We are delighted to have represented the whole United Kingdom in the European Tree of the Year competition this year. From winning the Scottish competition last year, to getting an outstanding 30,000 votes at the European level, we have been blown away by the level of support and want to thank everyone who voted for this tree. It has been a great start to our 25th Anniversary Year and is a very nice tribute to the hard work of everyone who has been involved with Carrifran Wildwood over the years.”
