Long cultivated in plantations for timber, in corridors as windbreaks and in large gardens and parks as an ornamental, Radiata Pines have had a bad rap in recent times, listed as a weed across much of the country.

But the Pinus radiata, which hails from California and north-western Mexico, has just been given a boost with one such conifer voted this year's Victorian Tree of the Year. A 100-year-old, lollipop-shaped Radiata Pine at Mount Beckworth Scenic Reserve received the most votes in a month-long contest run by the Victorian arm of the National Trust of Australia.

The tree can be seen from a distance of up to 50 kilometres and got its unique mop-top form following the removal of its lower branches during World War II, when the site was used for bomb-aiming exercises by RAAF pilots based at the Ballarat aerodrome.

Simon Ambrose, chief executive of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), says the contest raises awareness about the conservation of natural heritage and of the benefits that significant trees provide.