这些令人惊叹的树木之一将被加冕为英国的年度树木

这些令人惊叹的树木之一将被加冕为英国的年度树木

Britain is home to some of the most majestic trees on Earth, many of them having spread their roots for centuries.

英国是地球上一些最雄伟树木的家园，其中许多树木的根系已经伸展了数百年。

The yews of Kingley Vale have existed in South Downs for thousands of years. They are some of the oldest living things in the United Kingdom, and they're in the running for Britain's Tree of the Year. (Photo: Jim Champion [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr)

So when a contest comes along that aims to crown one of them as the fairest of them all, you might imagine the competition would be tight.

因此，当一场旨在为其中一名选手加冕为最公平选手的比赛开始时，你可能会认为竞争会很激烈。

The thing is, the trees don't care so much about all the pageantry. It's people who cast the votes. And trees, which can literally be the pillars of a community, mean a lot to people.

问题是，树木并不太在意所有的华丽。是人民在投票。树木是社区的支柱，对人们来说意义重大。

In that spirit, the Woodland Trust, one of the biggest conservation charities in the United Kingdom, has unveiled its shortlist for England's Tree of the Year.

本着这种精神，英国最大的环保慈善机构之一林地信托基金会(Woodland Trust)公布了英格兰年度树木的候选名单。

The trees don't have to boast towering dimensions or trace a lineage spanning millennia. They might, in fact, simply tell a story. Last year's winner, for example, was a beech tree grafted into the shape of the letter "N."

这些树并不一定要拥有高耸的规模或跨越数千年的谱系。事实上，他们可能只是简单地讲一个故事。例如，去年的冠军是一棵嫁接成字母“n”形状的山毛榉树。

That would stand for Nellie. And the man who shaped it back in the early 20th century, a miner named Vic Stead. He used the tree to successfully woo his love. It worked, and the tree has since been named Nellie's Tree.

那将代表奈莉。还有在20世纪早期塑造它的人，一个叫维克·斯特德的矿工。他用这棵树成功地赢得了他的爱情。它起了作用，这棵树后来被命名为奈莉的树。

Whoa, Nellie. (Photo: Christine Johnstone [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Britain, for all its storied trees, isn't alone in honoring them. Europe has its own Tree of the Year contest also aimed at highlighting their towering importance. (In fact, the winners of England's contest and others in the U.K. will go on to represent the U.K. in the European contest.)

除了英国，还有许多其他的国家也向这些树致敬。欧洲也有自己的“年度树”评选活动，旨在突出它们的重要性。(事实上，英格兰和其他英国选手的冠军将代表英国参加欧洲赛场。)

The Dragon Tree of Brightstone

光明石的龙树

Legend has it that this tree was once a dragon that terrorized the local village. (Photo: Sarah Louise Dawber)

Then there's a tree that would seem as at home in Middle Earth as it does on the Isle of Wight: the Dragon Tree of Brighstone. Its limbs are so vast, one of them actually serves a bridge over the brook below. The tree's epic — and downright strange — proportions may actually stem from disaster. Experts suggest at one point, it was toppled by a storm. But being the Dragon Tree and all, its branches found a way to re-root. And hence, it rose again.

还有一种树，在中土世界看起来就像在怀特岛上一样自在:光明石之龙树。它的四肢是如此之大，其中的一条甚至可以作为下面小溪上的桥梁。这棵树的史诗般的比例——完全奇怪的比例——实际上可能源于灾难。专家表示，它曾一度被暴风雨掀翻。但作为一棵龙树，它的枝干找到了重新生根的方法。因此，它又上升了。

Or, if you prefer to stick with the Tolkien-esque narrative, some people claim the tree was once an actual dragon.

或者，如果你更愿意坚持托尔金式的叙述，一些人声称这棵树曾经是一条真正的龙。

The Fallen Tree, Richmond Park

倒下的树，里士满公园

But when it comes to trees rising from the dead, it's hard to top the Fallen Tree in London's Richmond Park. According to the Woodland Trust, this mighty oak was blown over in a storm — and yet it "flourished despite its unusual position.

但是，说到从死里复活的树木时，很难不提在伦敦里士满公园里倒下的树。据林地信托基金会称，这棵高大的橡树在暴风雨中被吹倒了——然而，“尽管它的位置不同寻常，它却枝繁叶茂”。

"Now its branches all grow from one side of the trunk, reaching upwards as if each one was a small tree."

“现在它的树枝都从树干的一边长出来，向上延伸，好像每一根都是一棵小树。”

If you happen to know any of them — and perhaps think one is particularly worthy of the crown — you can cast your vote through the Woodland Trust website here. The voting closes on Sept. 27.

如果你碰巧认识他们中的任何一个——也许你认为其中一个特别配得上皇冠——你可以通过林地信托网站在这里投票。投票将于9月27日结束。