The destruction of the medieval Sycamore Gap tree has triggered an outpouring of grief, as people all over the world share their memories of the symbolic national treasure located by Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.
Northumberland Police arrested a 16-year-old male in connection with the felled tree, who has since been released on bail pending further questioning.
The National Trust said it was “shocked and saddened” by the brutal act of vandalism to the site, which won English Tree of the Year in 2016.
The tree was hugely popular among locals and tourists alike, inspiring countless photographs and paintings. On social media, many have said they proposed to their spouses and scattered loved ones’ ashes nearby.
Here’s what to know about the iconic natural beauty, and whether it can be restored to its former glory.
How old are sycamore trees?
Sycamore trees can grow up to 35m tall and live for up to 400 years, according to the Woodland Trust.
It is thought to have been introduced to the UK by the Romans. However, other reports suggest it was introduced to the UK in the Tudor era around the 1500s.
Widespread planting of the tree species took place in the 1700s and the earliest reports of the species growing naturally in the UK date from the mid-1800s, the charity added.
How old is the sycamore gap tree?
The exact age of the Sycamore Gap tree is not known.
It has been reported that it is 300 years old, but the Woodland Trust believes that it was planted between 1860 and 1890.
Sitting between a dramatic drop in a valley near Hadrian’s Wall, the beloved tree was thrust into the limelight after it was featured in the 1991 blockbuster film Robin Hood and the Prince of Thieves.
Neighbouring Hadrian’s Wall was built by the Roman army in 122, on the orders of the emperor Hadrian following his visit to the British Isles in that year.
The 73-mile-long barrier has been carefully preserved for nearly 2,000 years, and the tree was recognised as one of its more significant landscape markers.
The tree has come close to destruction before. In 2003 a helicopter filming Hadrian’s Wall for a documentary series crashed less than 100 feet away from the sycamore.
The Sycamore was one of the UK’s most photographed trees (Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty)
Can the Sycamore Gap tree be saved?
A tree expert told Sky News that there was a chance that the tree could be saved, but that it would take decades before it begins to look as it once did.
“It is very difficult to know if it will survive for sure, as I haven’t seen it in person, but it’s worth having hope,” John Stokes of the Tree Council told Sky News.
“At this time of year, trees begin to store energy in their roots for next year’s growing season – and it is possible that the tree may grow some new shoots next spring.
“If they do appear, they will then take many decades to grow into a new tree – but there may be a chance. We won’t know for sure until next spring.”
Speaking to i, JJ Stillwell, director and tree surgeon at Z Tree Services, said: “I think there’s very little chance of it growing back. It would take years, and if it did, it would be more like a bush.
“If it had been cut two or three meters higher than it was then that would be coppicing, which could allow it to grow back. But when it’s chopped that low, it’s like leaving a bleeding wound.”
He added that the tree’s growth was incredibly rare.
“The fact that it managed to grow from a sapling to a large tree, when it’s exposed to the wind, is really quite remarkable and rare. It was standing completely alone, which is part of what made it so picturesque and special. There must have been something very specific about that eco-system that allowed it to grow in that way.
“Why would someone go out of their way to destroy it? It’s tragic.”
North of Tyne mayor, Jamie Driscoll, said that the decision over what to do with the remains of the tree would ultimately lie with the National Trust.
“I have heard suggestions that the wood from the tree could be used to make some kind of monument, he told Sky News.
“Whether it is possible to take a cutting or a graft from the tree and replant it, that will take an arborist with more technical skill than I have to come up with these suggestions – but certainly we will be doing something.”
inews.co.uk
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