The famous Sycamore Gap tree could live on thanks to salvaged seeds and cuttings, officials revealed yesterday.
There was a national outcry in September when the much-loved, 200-year-old Northumberland tree was cut down in an apparent act of vandalism.
The National Trust, which owns the land on which it stood, said it quickly collected material from the remains of the sycamore, adding work has been ongoing to see whether it can be re-born from cuttings and seeds.
It is hopeful that more than 30% of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings will be viable. It is also hoped the trunk of the original tree – featured in the hit movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – will re-grow.
Andy Jasper, director of gardens and parklands at the National Trust, said: “After discovering the felled tree, our teams were quickly on the scene to collect material that would enable us to propagate from the tree.
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“This work is taking place in our specialist rare plant propagation nursery. 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% of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings will be viable, which means we can hopefully grow new descendants from the tree in the future. Over the next year, we’ll be doing all we can to nurture the seeds and cuttings in the hope that some will grow into strong, sturdy saplings – providing a new future for this much-loved tree.”
The charity said it is also working on a “fitting tribute” to the tree to ensure its legacy lives on.
This follows an unprecedented public response to the felling on National Trust and Northumberland National Park’s social
media channels.
A teenager arrested after the tree was felled overnight on September 27 was later told he will face no further action by police.
A man in his 60s and two men in their 30s, who were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, remain on bail.
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