David Treanor’s recent presentation at Overnewton recreation centre on
the Argyle Street Ash brought together history, science, and community in
an engaging portrait of Glasgow’s most remarkable survivor.

The talk opened with drone footage from Tree Wise Urban Forestry’s most
recent visit, showing careful removal of dead branches as part of ongoing
stewardship. From there, David explored his research into ash dieback, highlighting the environmental factors that may be contributing to this
tree’s unusual resistance — from its sheltered urban microclimate to its
physical isolation from other ash.

The Argyle Street Ash was framed as a living counter-narrative to the loss
of the Sycamore Gap tree, an idea echoed in social media comments such
as “this is Glasgow’s Sycamore Gap” and “more like Tree of the Decade.”

Historic photographs from Glasgow’s tram era brought the audience face-to-
face with the tree’s past. David invited anyone with further images to come forward, weaving these visual records into a wider reflection on the power of drone imagery and the striking sight of a solitary mature ash thriving in such an unexpected urban setting.

The presentation touched on the tree’s formal protection in 1980 as Glasgow’s very first Tree Preservation Order, its appearance in From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest, and the two conflicting origin stories recorded there and in ordinance survey maps. Family connections to the tree were shared, including stories from residents of 1223 Argyle Street over the decades.

Other highlights included the prospect of a forthcoming BBC documentary, the notion of the tree being “170 years into an 850-year life,” and an AI-generated image capturing its journey “from horse-drawn trams to Teslas.” The tree’s timeline was set against world events from the American Civil War to the present day.

David explained the purpose of the current campaign: to share the tree’s
cultural heritage and its stories through the lenses of science, history, and
community — with the aim of turning interpretation into understanding,
understanding into appreciation, and appreciation into protection.

The presentation closed with a discussion on tree protection, the pros and cons of planting ash in gardens, a call to action for more stories and photos of the tree and an open Q&A. Among the attendees was Angus Miller, Glasgow’s councillor for climate action.

The Argyle Street Ash is nominated for the Woodland Trust’s UK Tree of
the Year 2025, and David encouraged the audience to vote, share the story, and help protect this unique living landmark before voting closes on 19th September.