The sycamore chopped down at Hadrian's wall

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

What a fucking horrible thing to do.
It must've taken a lot of effort to cut that tree down, and for what? To do something horrible for the sake of doing something horrible?

Why why why cut down a 200yr old tree? :(

There’s a sort of symbolic sadness to this I think. It just sums up for me how the world is really going to shit at the moment.

The only thing I can think of is some sort of protest about the tourism the tree brings or somebody pissed off with National Trust policy etc. I dunno.

Thank you, @BCCoach , it's not something we need then for the tree trimming in our garden.

I always call out the spelling as it is usually wrong on here, TV licence threads particularly annoy me.

You do realise that your smug sentence about spelling is grammatically incorrect?

Or at least the punctuation is wrong. It’s two independent clauses. So should be separated by a full stop (or semi colon). https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/grammar/commasplices

Generally I wouldn’t give a fuck… but since you’re the self appointed spelling police…

Agree. I think a number of posters are underestimating the skills of rural teens.

A 16 year old can go on a course to learn how to use a chainsaw and have a certificate at the end saying they’ve completed the course and are safe to use a chainsaw (which is what the ‘licence’ is). Yes. It may come as a surprise to you but in rural areas many teenagers go into full time employment immediately after school. They can also have a shotgun licence from 15 and drive tractors and trailers (including on public roads) from 16.

It's what it stands for. Nature, beauty, the outdoors. Many people have been proposed to under the tree, have scattered ashes of dear loved ones, have had a special moment connected to the tree.

No, it hasn't ruined my day at all. And yes, there are far more serious things going on in the world. But you can feel sad about the tree and worried and unsure about other current issues too.

I find it fascinating, and also a little sad, that you can’t see the value in an ancient tree in a beautiful place. There a number of posts on MN about this tree today and yesterday, and how it’s provided a backdrop to some of the most important events of people’s lives - both happy and sad - people posting about how they got engaged there, someone told their husband they were pregnant in that spot and a number of people posted that they walked there for comfort when people close to them were dying. It is obviously a special place for so many people.

It is perfectly possible to care about more than one thing at once. In fact, the simplicity of a beautiful ancient tree in a naturally beautiful spot is - in my opinion - made all the more important and special by the fact that a lot of the time the rest of the world feels so difficult. Nature is free for everyone to enjoy and the pointless destruction of something that was there for all is very upsetting. It’s a shame you can’t see the value in that.

It’s terribly sad. I understand many people have used the location to scatter the ashes of loved ones, which makes the loss even more heartbreaking. I cant understand what would make someone do such a thing. I hope they can use the wood to make some kind of memorial and that the tree will grow again, although it will take 100’s of years to look anything like it did.

Vile. Just shows that in 200 years we've managed to preserve this tree. Sign of the times that now it's been cut down, decline in morals and probably this is some strange attention grabbing TikTok dare.

Some disturbed individuals. 😢 Actually I find it heartening that’s there been such an outcry about this.

No way would Just Stop Oil do something like this. They are PRO environment. Although their methods are designed to get attention no way would they cut down a tree (nature) like this. Don't be ridiculous.

I grew up surrounded by farmers and by 16 they were all pretty capable of using machinery. Whether they also possessed the disrespect for the environment, well that's another matter.

It’s a local kid. Who has pissed off a significant portion of his local community (and the wider world). There will be consequences to that

Good, that'll hopefully teach the little prick a better lesson than making him half-heartedly pick up litter for a few months.

I've explained upthread that I didn't mean just stop oil, I said an activist group like them. I just meant in terms of extreme action to make a point. It's not completely beyond some people to sacrifice one tree to make a point about the millions of trees being cut down worldwide. Although I concede that nobody has claimed responsibility which wouldn't fit with the protest angle. It was just late night musings that's all. But my point that amazonian tribes losing entire forests of important trees so we can have soya milk still stands

This is very true. The part about the rest of the world feeling so difficult resonated with me. I’m not hippy dippy at all but I have definitely found solace in nature at the worst times of my life. And it’s also been the backdrop to some of life’s happiest moments too.

This is something my neighbours who refuse to recycle, despite our area making it so easy, wouldn’t give a shit about. (Not saying the PP feels the same way but it did instantly remind me of their attitude of “There are bigger issues in the world.”)

It’s so sad, it shows how fragile nature is and in many cases it’s well-being completely in our hands to protect and nurture. It’s disturbing how many people either don’t get that or don’t care.

I can't believe some of you think no 16 year olds are capable of this.

I know farm kids a lot younger who could do it.

My gut says it was a dare.

Physically capable yes.

But it's a bloody odd thing to do. I'd be questioning their mental capacity.

Didn’t seem ridiculous to me either OP initially but I agree I think we would have heard by now if it was some little prick(s) thinking they’re some kind of Banksy figure making a political statement. Seems utterly mindless to me.

Not a very good message being sent about farmers children on these theads

@Kernackered just to correct you on your point about amazon deforestation for "soya milk" that is complete rubbish.

https://animalequality.org.uk/blog/2021/08/20/soy-and-deforestation/

"In fact, only 7% of global soy is used for products like tofu and soy milk, while more than three-quarters – a staggering 77% – is used as feed for animals farmed for human consumption."

Not to mention the massive amounts of deforestation used to create land for grazing animals on.

Don't blame "soy milk" for an issue related to meat eating. Complete rubbish.

This is why no one heard anything.

Locals here have said there was no storm

Deforestation for soya is nothing to do with soy milk, it's cattle feed for the beef industry.