The Last Ent of Affric | |
---|---|
Species | Wych elm ( Ulmus glabra) |
Coordinates | 57°13′17″N 5°06′23″W / 57.22138°N 5.10640°W |
Girth | 3.8m |
Website | Woodland Trust - Ancient Tree Inventory |
The Last Ent of Affric is an ancient elm in the Scottish Highlands, [1] designated a Tree of National Special Interest (TNSI) [2] by the Woodland Trust and named Scotland's Tree of the Year in 2019. [3] [4] It is probably the last surviving tree of an ancient forest, and by virtue of its isolation has remained safe from Dutch elm disease. [2]
The 'Last Ent of Affric' is a centuries-old [3] Wych elm (Ulmus glabra), [2] named in reference to the tree-creatures of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. [3] Giles Brockman of Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), who nominated the tree for the Tree of the Year Award 2019, said:
Given its location, its isolation - and its peculiar 'face' - it's very easy to imagine it as one of Tolkien's Ents standing sentinel over the rebirth of a new native woodland in Affric. [1]
It has a girth of 3.80m at a height of 1.50m. [2] It is located in Glean nan Ciche, a side spur off Glen Affric in the Highlands of Scotland. [3] The Last Ent's exact age is uncertain, but its diameter suggests it is many centuries old. [3] Given its unusual location, and isolation, it is supposed to be the single surviving tree of ancient forest. [3] Brockman said:
The Last Ent is growing on the rocky outflow of a mountain stream, not a place where you would choose to plant a tree, there being little soil under the moss that covers the rocks. So this must be a survivor of a forest long departed, a sentinel watching over the new native woodland growing on the slopes below. [3]
Discovery of owl pellets among the roots of the tree suggests that it is home to a roost of owls. [3]
In 2019, The Last Ent of Affric was named as Scotland's Tree of the Year, following nomination by Giles Brockman of Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). [3] Brockman had launched a campaign to recognise the elm, which he described as "a hidden mystery of Glen Affric." [3] It was one of six finalists, [5] selected from public nominations, and subsequently won an online public vote. [1]
Following its becoming Tree of the Year, the Last Ent of Affric was adopted as a figurehead of efforts to fight Dutch elm disease. [4] Dr. Euan Bowditch, from the Wooded Landscapes Research Group at Inverness College UHI, noted the significance of educating the public on the ongoing presence of healthy elms - and the need to protect them - in the face of the Dutch elm disease threat. [4] He noted:
The public perception of elm is probably quite defeatist. Many people might not realise that healthy elms exist, grow and regenerate. I think it is important to emphasise that elms are not lost to our landscape. [4]
Dutch elm disease is spread by beetles, aided by the movement of infected wood. [4] As such, the campaign to halt its spread in Scotland and the Highlands focuses on limiting the movement of this wood, to protect remaining elms. [4]