Ballarat Tree a finalist in Victorian Tree of the Year Award

One of Ballarat’s significant trees in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens has been shortlisted for the National Trust of Australia Victorian Tree of the Year Award.

The Ponderosa Pine is one of nine trees shortlisted and one of only three from regional Victoria.

One of the tallest trees in the Botanical Gardens, it is an imposing specimen with a distinctive, patterned sweet smelling bark, which on a warm day, exudes a butterscotch or vanilla scent.

City of Ballarat Curator Parks and Nursery, Peter Marquand is encouraging residents and visitors to the gardens to jump online and vote for Ballarat’s Ponderosa, a tree he says people love to view and touch.

Simon Ambrose, CEO of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), said the Victorian Tree of the Year aimed to raise awareness of the conservation of the state’s natural heritage and promote the benefits that trees provide to our culture and way of life.

Ballarat residents can view the finalists via the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) website and cast their vote via the Facebook page.

Voting commences Sunday 18 April and will close Sunday 2 May 2021. The winner will be announced shortly after.

The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) is the state's leading advocate for the protection of trees. Since 1982, the Trust has classified over 1,400 trees across Victoria on the National Trust Significant Tree Register.