Tree of the year announced. Pwooooaaarrr!!

Gnarly! 🙂

I also love how the ground below them is always devoid of other plants. I'm guessing the shed pine needles turn the ground acidic or something so "weeds" or grass can't take root.

Makes them seem even more regal on the landscape they are in.

Yep, I'm a tree bugger.

I see what yew did there.

Yew wood though, wooden Yew!!

I nearly didn't look at this because I didn't really twig what it was about but I went out on a limb and I'm glad I didn't leaf it unread.
Nice tree 🙃

I also love how the ground below them is always devoid of other plants.

Shade - it's got such a thick dense canopy not a lot of light is reaching the ground around the tree.  This means other plants will struggle to grow.  That's the main reason you have very little growing inside a commercial forest.

I'm pining for some more puns here. C'mon everyone, I'm rooting for you.

Shade but mainly acidity for lack of growth underneath. I’ve a few veteran yews that I look after, beautiful things

reminds me a bit of this cracker that I spotted during my KAW ride earlier this year...

[url= https://i.ibb.co/9WSt6Jm/IMG-20220507-211157.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/9WSt6Jm/IMG-20220507-211157.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://imgbb.com/ ]basic html photo gallery[/url]

Yew wood though, wooden Yew!!

Badum, tish! 🤣

I also love how the ground below them is always devoid of other plants.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but every part of a yew tree is toxic, apart from the red squishy bit around the seeds, to encourage birds to eat them, then spread the seeds around when they poo. The Red bit is apparently edible for humans, and is quite sweet, but the actual seed is toxic and must be removed, so barely worth the effort.

Some of the Pyrocanthus in one of my front hedges has died off, absolute bastard stuff to remove, scratched my arms to buggery, so when I was out for a walk a week or so ago, I passed a churchyard with overhanging yew trees and picked up some berries, and I’ve chucked them into the empty spaces. Got some holly that self-seeded, probably by birds, that I’ll plant there as well.
I do like old yew trees, and that one is a beaut!

I like a bit of Yew root showing. Something enticing to wander in and explore the dark depths...
.
.
.
I also hope fame doesn't attract too many ars*h*l*s as well:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/threat-ancient-scots-yew-uks-oldest-tree-tourists-rip-branches-souvenirs-633219

Yep, I’m a tree bugger.

That'll teach me not to check predictive properly.lol

^^ I've read about that yew tree up in Scotland. 3000 years old, absolutely incredible but so sad that people feel the need to tear bits of it off. Just take a picture ffs!

Saw the title and I thought it might refer to this 7os classic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Melon_for_Ecstasy

Exposed roots are fab. Look great on a tree like this, ride great on a bike trail, it's all win til the tree falls over.

Saw the title and I thought it might refer to this 7os classic

The S word is not allowed on this thread, thank you.

We all love to hate a pedant

I’m guessing the shed pine needles turn the ground acidic or something

Surely they'd be Yew needles.

Yew berries are tasty, never done me any harm......

I still enjoy flicking through the book meetings with remarkable trees.

I bought the book 'high climbers and timber fallers' a few years back. Some mighty fine trees in that, admittedly being felled but very impressive.

The fortingall yew is very impressive just oozing history.

I always liked the reminder on Shigo's modern aboriculture book to Touch trees. Something that's very grounding.

gnarly tree you say? how about this one?

Its in a church yard too, which always adds to its gnarly spookiness. I came across it at Birdham, near west wittering. Not sure what it is....being nearly dead by the look!

Bizzarre coincidence that we were stood by the 2021 winner yesterday - windblown hawthorn on a beach at Kippford. It was OK, but it is more the combination of tree and location than the tree itself. Also relies on the camera being in just the right location to avoid some less aesthetic bits of the trunk.

Love that!

Meh, I voted for the Hawthorn.

Anyone know what type of tree that is that neilnevill posted above?

U2

The twisted tree in Birdham churchyard is a Monterey Cypress

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/gbr/england/westsussex/7480_birdhamparishchurchyard/

Great photo neilnevill

Could make a nice table out of that.

You’d get at least two out of this bugger! Eee by blue gum!

Thanks Temudgin. When I'm at the Chromebook later I'll post another photo from closer and a different angle, it's a gnarly tree!

Ooh, I've camped out in the Waverley Abbey ruins grounds many years ago as a teenager. I didn't see the tree though 😁

here you go, enjoy the twisted gnarr!

Took a detour to Birdham for the spooky twisty tree

I'm gonna ride down to Birdham for a look as well. Also hello south coast crowd. That yew reminds me of kingley vale.

@temudgin cheers did info on the tree.👍

@temudgin spectacular pic that!

Am I the only one seeing the twisted form of a human like creature with their arms flowing through the air?

@temudgin, that's a brilliant pic- feels like it might have been found on your camera as the last photo you took before being mysteriously dismembered though