Sycamore Gap - tree has been felled!

[NepheliLoux]

Looks like someone has deliberately felled the famous tree in Sycamore Gap. I can’t believe anyone would do such a thing. I don’t normally get emotional but this has really upset me. It’s absolutely irreplaceable.

@Ghostytoasty I think animals would be better off without us around to be honest. It’s one tree.
It’s not ALL the trees.

Vandalism, yes.

I’ll leave everyone to mourn the tree, knowing you are all doing what you can to protect your environment of course …and not just think one tree 🙄

I run a B Corp business, am I allowed to mourn the tree?

I couldn’t get that upset over a tree. Of all the horrendous, sickeningly vile things that happen each second of the day, caused mostly by humans I may add! this would be close to the bottom of my list to be honest.

I think it's precisely because so many upsetting things happen in the world that it is so distressing when something that is collectively loved, harmless and adds a little bit of beauty and joy to the world is destroyed for no good reason. It tips the balance in the wrong direction.

I can get upset about more than one thing at a time.

@SurferRona generally 1.Too much beer 2. Wanting firewood 3.Wanting to try out the new chainsaw - in various combinations. They make a start then the saw jams or the tree gets hung up and they scarper leaving a dangerous mess behind. But mine are trees in a woodland, they probably think no one will miss a few. This is on a another scale altogether. Its like a giant "fuck you" rather than a bit of pissing around.

I know the episode you mean, and on hearing the news about a 16 year old boy being arrested it seems plausible that the same thing has happened here.
I'm gutted, even though I've driven past many, many times I've never yet got round to doing the walk to the tree, and now my child will never get to see it.
It may be just a tree to some but there are literally thousands of people that flock to this part of Hadrian's Wall every year, it really is (or was 😢) a well loved local landmark.
Such a shame!

@Missingmyusername don't you have some other chips to piss on somewhere?

Bark chips

This is the story of the planting of the sapling in November 1989, replacing the old tree.

I work in the environmental sector and have done work to save trees. Am I allowed to mourn now? One tree should not be cast off. It’s like the saying ‘it’s just one piece of plastic’ said a million people. Each tree matters, ESPECIALLY ancient ones

Myself and my husband work in conservation. Are we allowed to mourn the tree?

Maybe you can have a think about the animals whose homes have been destroyed then? A tree that age supports an entire ecosystem.

Or did you not mean those sorts of animals?

I actually think the person who deliberately planned and did this is quite dangerous.

No, they planted a replacement tree and the idea was they’d remove the iconic tree later when the other one grew, but that never happened. The tree that was cut down was the original. It’s was 300 years old

I want to see every single tree protected.

Ahhhh okay, apologies. I was mildly encouraged by the idea that it would only take a couple of generations for it to regenerate again. Now I'm even more saddened.

Apologies, I read my message back and it sounded really aggressive. I’m just so frustrated by it all!

Doubt that a 16 year old has done that alone. No doubt people will be along to make excuses for his gross vandalism.

It was 300 years old.

I have a TPO protected sycamore. My neighbour would chop it down without a thought.

Bastards!

That's okay, I understand. It's just so mindless and upsetting.

There are reasons why we are destroying the planet- fuel to stay warm, transport people to hospital etc. Most environmental destruction is actually purposeful- it was felt to be a least worst solution.

This was totally pointless. No one was fed. No one accessed services more quickly. No one needed food, warmth or shelter.

This was entirely destructive with no benefit whatsoever. Pure spite or arrogance.

You can be upset about lots of things simultaneously you know right?

All trees support the environmental, Sycamore is a fast growing tree and i ve many of them within a TPO zone (not that TPOs are enforced)

I do however hope that some "good" might come out of this awful bit of vandalism and lead to a wider discussion on of protection trees and why we have allowed a fucking railway to be built through ancient woodland.

Ghostytoasty · Today 15:53

Sycamore is a non-native species but it is not considered invasive.

Most people who are in the field think so. I have an interest, because my dad has been part of a conservation group, for over 30 years; they plant native British species in his and surrounding villages. He's a botanist and a retired agronomist / horticulturalist.

If they find sycamore (and certain other foreign species) saplings, they get rid of them, but wouldn't do so with mature trees. They did have a rhododendron infestation and they destroyed them.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/sycamore/

The seed is extremely fertile, so sycamore has spread quickly across the UK and colonised many woodlands to the detriment of native species.

http://www.mikepalmer.co.uk/woodyplantecology/sycamore/britain.htm#:~:text=Sycamore%20invades%20different%20types%20of,despite%20a%20regular%20seed%20production.

Sycamore invades different types of woodlands in the British Isles including birch, ash, alder and oak woods and many disturbed sites. However, the speed of invasion is usually slow because the conditions suitable for sycamore regeneration only occur at irregular intervals despite a regular seed production.

https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/tree-identification/sycamore/

The sycamore is fast growing tree and regarded by some as a ‘weed’. It is not a native tree, it is native to central, eastern and southern Europe.

. Its heavy leaf fall can mean that the ground flora underneath the tree is limited. However, on the plus side, it offers a food source and shelter for wildlife (for example, aphids tap into the sugar rich leaves and that leave behind their sticky honeydew). The aphids are a food source for ladybirds and birds.

Don't get me started on HS2 🤬