See here for
essential background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2023/10/sycamore-gap-update.html.
Following the previous article I did, before I left forEssex ,
about a worrying subject, I'm pleased to present some happy news today. The
stump left over from the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's
Wall is showing signs of life. Many experts at the time thought
that it was viable for coppicing and it has indeed produced some shoots this
year. In time twigs and branches will emerge from the stump. If it is well
looked after, the tree may well grow back to its former glory. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cm17jkvezg1jo.
That's the good news. The bad news is that this will take a very long time; two,
maybe three centuries. Something hopefully our descendants can enjoy. The tree
was seeding when it was cut down and so the seeds have been taken to various
places and planted. They have produced forty-nine saplings, but unfortunately
one of them has been stolen, see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv62k25ep0jlo.
It's as if somebody really has a hatred for that tree and what it represents. I
wonder who it is and why they feel this way. Let's hope the tree and its
offspring suffer no more harm.
See here for background: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2025/02/boudica-portal.html.
Following the previous article I did, before I left for
See here for background: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2025/02/boudica-portal.html.
2 comments:
This is an interesting case and it's hard to understand the motivations of the two men who chopped it down. They were themselves tree surgeons/landscapers by trade so had the skills to do it quickly and efficiently. It doesn't really have the profile of mindless vandalism. It occurred to me they might have had a grudge against the National Trust which is itself a somewhat evil organisation. But nothing of that sort came out in the court proceedings.
Thankfully sycamores are as tough as old boots so there was always a good chance it would regenerate. Coppiced trees tend to live a bit longer than untended trees so the episode may ultimately have extended the life of the tree.
That would be poetic justice, MT. The felling was definitely a professional job. It's actually dangerous to cut down a tree that size if you don't know what you're doing. It might fall on top of you! In court the culprits refused to state what their motives were. I do wonder about its symbolic nature. It was very close to the anniversary, within just a few hours, of the slaying of the whiter stag of Merseyside, as I say in the background link.
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