That the Parliament notes that a giant redwood in Benmore Gardens near Dunoon is a finalist in Scotland’s Tree of the Year competition, an annual event run by the Woodland Trust that invites members of the public to vote for their favourite tree from a list of nominations; understands that this giant redwood is the tallest tree in the striking entrance avenue of giant redwoods at Benmore, planted in 1863, and which is unique in botanical gardens in Europe; notes that the origin of these trees is thought to lie in the request from the landowner, Patrick Matthew (1790-1874), to his sons to send seeds back to Scotland by steam packet from California during the gold rush, and welcomes that the winner of Scotland’s Tree of the Year will compete against trees from all over the continent for the title of European Tree of the Year, which is organised by the Environmental Partnership Association.