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The winning tree stole the show and is a centre point of the patio at (). It is more than 100 years old and has a massive diameter of more than 1 metre.

“It’s a very impressive and old tree,” said Catherine Goddard, a volunteer co-ordinator at the GTT. “Not every tree with this big of a diameter is old, but this one is. It’s a fairly slow-growing tree and is about halfway through its potential life.”

The bitternut hickory was nominated by GTT volunteer Rhea Koch, who lives nearby. She knew it was an unusual, old and special find. The tree would have been planted around the time the country club was established in 1912.

“It is a lovely and notable tree in one of Guelphs historic landscapes,” she said in a statement.

A bitternut hickory, carya cordiformis, is related to the pecan tree. It is the shortest lived of this kind of tree, at 200 years, and matures to about 24 metres in height. It has small and bitter tasting nuts, and the bright sulphur yellow buds are distinctive. It is an important tree for wildlife, the GTT said.

“The shagbark hickory is one you will see more often, in my experience,” said Goddard. “This bitternut hickory standing by itself was clearly planted there, so there must be a story behind it.”

Judges in the contest were Ward 5 councillor Cathy Downer, Arboretum senior research associate Sean Fox, and professional arborist Rob Shaw-Lukavsky. They were delighted to have 18 trees to choose from and ended up naming three honourable mentions as well.

These were a Norway maple tree at 105 Grange St., a blue spruce at 26 Dalebrook Pl. and a black maple at the corner of Heather Avenue and Rodney Boulevard.

Goddard said they are glad to have encouraged folks to consider all the trees around them.

“The aim is just to get people to start looking at trees and valuing them, particularly the older trees, rather than just deciding to cut them down at a moment’s notice. It really goes hand in hand with our new bylaws here for protection,” Goddard said.

She said our mature trees give so much to our community, like shade, protection and oxygen, and their value is immeasurable.

The GTT raises funds to provide life-saving specialized pruning and other services for legacy trees in the area. Their arborist, Doug Steel of Full Circle Tree Care assists aging trees to live long lives, they said.

They are always looking for mature trees in ���߲ݴ�ýthat need their help. For more information or to contact them, visit