It has withstood the elements of the Scottish Highlands for centuries but an 800-year-old tree thought to be the most ancient of its kind in Europe has finally fallen, weakened by disease and possibly the recent cold snap.
In September a celebration was held for Beauly’s wych elm, which was a famous emblem of the area just to the west of Inverness.
References to the tree at the ruins of Beauly Priory have been found in records going back to medieval times. But it succumbed to Dutch elm disease and buds seen in 2021 are believed to have been its last.
It is now lying on its side — clearly showing its hollow trunk — and with branches broken by its undignified end.
“It is a tragic sight, but not unexpected . . . The recent snow and thaw probably just delivered the coup de grace,” said one local.
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Others took to social media. Mel Adamson wrote: “This is so sad. The history that tree has seen over the centuries flowed through its roots.” Kim McCormack added: “I hope they keep the wood and do something special with it.”
September’s celebration in the grounds of the priory featured artists, writers and talks from tree health experts. Local people’s stories about the tree were also told.
Isabel McLeish, an artist involved in the celebration, said then: “It is amazing to think about what the tree must have witnessed during its 800 years of life.”
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) laser-scanned the elm as part of work to document ancient Scottish trees.
It has used the technology to also create digital images of historic buildings.
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Dutch elm disease is a fungal infection spread by tiny bark beetles. It can rapidly wither and kill healthy trees.
The disease arrived in the south of England in the 1960s and in recent years it has moved west through Aberdeenshire and Moray and into the Highlands. In 2018, warm weather was blamed for speeding up the spread of the disease.
Wych elm is the only elm regarded as being truly native to the UK, according to the Woodland Trust.
Sarah Franklin, a landscape manager at HES, said historical documents confirmed the existence of the elm at the time the priory was established in the 1230s. HES has been trying to establish if other elms are as old as the Beauly tree.
Franklin said: “We couldn’t find other elms older in Europe. There is one in Italy 760 years old, but none reaching 800 years old.”