New shoots give hope that Sycamore Gap tree lives on
Growth from the base of the famous felled tree has been spotted 10 months after it was attacked with a chainsaw.
Signs of new life have been found growing from the stump of the felled Sycamore Gap tree, the National Trust has said.
Eight new shoots have emerged from the base of the stump, giving hope that the historic tree lives on, ten months after it was illegally cut down.
It stood in a dip in Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland and when it was attacked with a chainsaw last September there was a national outcry.
The National Trust and Northumberland National Park Authority hoped the shoots could develop significant growth to form as “new” trees around the original stump.
National park ranger Gary Pickles found the shoots when he was making routine checks in the area.
He said: “It was serendipitous that I decided to walk up to Sycamore Gap to recce a guided walk planned for September, almost a year to the anniversary.
“I was first at the scene when the tree was discovered felled, and I remember saying hurriedly that it was gone. Now, I hope I can say that it’s back.
“My job as ranger for Hadrian’s Wall Path is all about conserving the past. So, in my head I had consigned the tree to history and so I am amazed and delighted that it may have a future after all and is making a go of it.”
“Our aim is to leave all eight shoots to grow for a few years – to see how they develop.
“In time we’ll be able to decide how to manage the tree – as a coppiced stool or considering whether to reduce to a single tree at some point in the future.
The public has been urged not to touch the shoots.
Mr Poad said: “The next few weeks and months are vitally important for the success of these shoots forming into the reinvigorated tree.
“We respectfully ask that any visitors to the site keep away from the stump and to not touch the shoots.
Meanwhile, seedlings gathered in the aftermath of the tree’s felling continue to flourish at the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre, with saplings possibly being planted in the next two years.
Two men will next appear in court on August 27 charged with causing criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian’s Wall.
