Who cut down the Sycamore Gap tree and what is being done to save it?

After the beloved Sycamore Gap tree was felled last year, work is now underway to save it using rescued seeds and cuttings.  

Located at the Roman-made Hadrian’s Wall for centuries, the tree was a popular attraction in the Northumberland countryside.

The iconic landmark even featured in a scene of Kevin Costner’s 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Then without a warning, the 200-year-old sycamore was cut down on September 28, leaving just a stump sticking out with the large trunk laying next to it.

The majestic Sycamore Gap tree before it was ‘vandalised’ (Credits: Getty Images)

Everything we know so far about the felling

After locals discovered what had happened and news of the felling spread, police launched an investigation, which is still ongoing.

Northumbria Police detained and questioned two men in their 30s in relation to the incident, and both remain on bail.

Police described the felling as ‘deliberate act of vandalism’.

Why exactly the nation’s favourite tree was destroyed is still a mystery.

Sycamore Gap tree was an iconic destination for walkers, photographers and even wedding proposals (Credits: Katielee Arrowsmith /SWNS)

The crime scene (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)

What is being done to save it?

National Trust which runs the site rushed to collect seeds and cuttings from the tree that could be planted and nurtured.

They were transported to a secret location somewhere in Devon to a ‘high security greenhouse’, a BBC report said.

Andy Jasper, director of parklands at the National Trust, said in December: ‘After discovering the felled tree, our teams were quickly on the scene to collect material that would enable us to propagate from the tree.

‘This work is taking place in our specialist rare plant propagation nursery and although this wasn’t really the right time of year to do this work, we are encouraged by positive signs of life, and are hopeful that over 30 per cent of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings (scions) will be viable, which means we can hopefully grow new descendants from the tree in the future.’

The seedlings could save the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree (Credits: Patrick Sobers_MOL)

The seedlings of the Sycamore Gap tree (Credit: National Trust/BBC)

Now some of the fragile shoots grown out of the seeds have sprouted, BBC revealed.

The hope is that some of them will ‘grow into strong, sturdy saplings – providing a new future for this much-loved tree’, Jasper said.

In total, the experts are looking after nine surviving grafted plants and 40-50 seedlings, BBC reported.

Ancient grafting technique joins sections of a fallen tree with healthy roots of another for a healthy tree to grow out of it if it goes well.

TV presenter Si King said the tree had been ‘murdered’ (Credits: Amanda Marks / SWNS)

Chunks of the once majestic tree trunk were later transported to safety.

Now Northumberland National Park has announced that parts of the tree will go on display at the nearby tourist attraction The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.

Jasper continued: ‘We are also hoping that the trunk of the original tree will regrow, but it could take up to three years before we know if this is possible.

‘As with many things in landscape restoration, we need to be patient and take the time to let nature do its thing.’

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