Tree of the Year 2023

The winner of UK Tree of the Year 2023 is Wrexham's Acton Park sweet chestnut.

This year's national contest celebrated urban trees in our neighbourhoods, each one a locally-loved ancient or veteran tree with a fascinating story and incredible benefits for wildlife, communities and the environment. The 13 finalists included trees selected by our expert panel plus one tree nominated by the public.

Wrexham's sweet chestnut won with an impressive 17% of the vote. Thought to be almost 500 years old, this giant tree is a symbol of resilience in the city, having weathered challenges from post-war plundering of the park for firewood in the forties to dozens of deadly storms. The tree is celebrated and loved by locals for its beauty and history, and often the centrepiece for picnics and tree parties.

Runner up this year was the Crouch Oak of Addlestone, Surrey with 14% of the vote, and a sweet chestnut in London's Greenwich Park received 13% to come in third place.

Thousands of you voted for your favourite tree this year. Thank you all. Our winner will now go on to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year 2024 contest!

Help protect our oldest trees

Our Tree of the Year competition aims to highlight how vital trees are for our landscapes and our lives. But our woods and trees - recognised as a real force in combatting climate change and biodiversity loss - are under greater threat than ever before. Many of the UK's oldest and most valuable trees have no legal protection. Together, we can stand up for our living legends.