Sycamore gap tree felled by vandals

This upsets me a lot, but is so prevalent in society in the UK these days.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66952980

My wife and I were so happy to visit this wonderful place in Spring of this year to see this lovely iconic tree. We took photos of course, here are a couple.

Sadly nobody else will enjoy this wonderful tree at Hadrians wall.

 

It blows my mind! How can someone do this kind of things?
Heartbreaking...

 

And I doubt the culprit or culprits will even get a slapped wrist.

 

A new tree tree be planted there.

It will outlive those ****, and be a thousand times more beautiful than these ****.

 

It would be nice if one was planted to replace the 300 year old. But I think a precedent has been set for more mindless yobs to carry out criminal damage to any new tree that is planted. Sadly I've seen it many times before. ( No fear of punishment these days).

 

Hard to find the just "punishment", and what goes with it, the educational measures to make someone a better person.

Vandalism can lead to paying the damage when it's a shop window or a car, but what's the "value" of such a tree ?...

 

Millions in tourism to this area alone. Now wouldn't that be a fine !! Might be deterrent......

 

Unfortunately, I don't think so : those who do these things just don't think about the consequences.

Was it on the Scottish side, or the English side ? It may seem a bit odd to ask that, but when I see how nationalism is gaining ground in Europe (and former European countries) and further leads to hatred, I wonder...

A deterrent ?... Education, and a secular state. Let me stay as naive as I was when I heard that on the radio :

 

On the English side.

 

Regarding cutting down the tree, horrible. It does seem like they have someone they are talking to about it, at least.

 

The existence of social media platforms is promoting the undertaking of all manner of things including destructive and nasty stunts. With in the case of You Tube for instance anything that generates a large number of clicks being able to make the individuals putting up the videos rich. Such as the teen woman whose segments of her playing rock hits on a drum set being said awhile back to have made her worth 25 million dollars US.

 

Agreed Ron I didn't think of that.

 

It will be in the publics interest to know of the outcome. (Under 18 though probably not). But sadly it won't bring back a wonderful 300 year old iconic tree.

 

Possibley the worst case of wanton vandalism I've ever seen!

 

Could not agree more N.

 

Wading in here … this happened in the late 1990s as a “protest” act

I realize it’s a side note to OP topic - re: an act to which I cannot relate

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiidk'yaas

I have visited it as a live tree a few times — a beautiful peaceful forest and river

NB - I think UBC Botanical Garden might have tried to grow some off spring of this sacred First Nations tree

you’d have to verify with UBC

 

Sad fact that trees have very little legal protection in Britain - felling even an ancient protected tree has a maximum penalty of just £20,000 and no custodial sentence (something that is peanuts to developers who want to remove trees to build housing where they expect to make profits in £ multi-millions, so they routinely ignore tree preservation orders). The immediately adjacent Roman Wall (Hadrian's Wall), being a scheduled ancient monument, is far better protected: if any part of that was damaged when the tree fell on it (which it did), the culprit could be liable to a prison sentence of 2 years or perhaps more.

Whoever did it was clearly an experienced chainsaw user; the job was very competently done: a real disgrace of a person like that.

@Alain - the Roman Wall hasn't been the England / Scotland border for a millennium or so! This tree is 28 km southeast of the nearest point on the current border.

@georgia - I'd agree, the Kiidk'yaas case was far worse than this one. The Sycamore Gap tree was nothing by comparison.

 

The current suspect is in fact a minor:

The Sycamore Gap tree is felled in England. Could it regrow? : NPR

Regarding the now long vanished cutter of the original Haida Gwai spruce there is an implication somebody tracked him down and shot him while he was attempting to paddle out of the area. Because his canoe and his effects were found on a beach. As though he toppled over into the water, leaving the canoe to drift to shore.

Clones of this tree are in cultivation as 'Bentham's Sunlight'. Searching the UBC Forms for that name should turn up additional discussion.

 

Would it not be possible to selectively remove the less desirable regrowth and encourage the strongest to grow on?

Moderator: I think this thread should be moved to a more appropriate forum.

 

Whatever forum should be deemed 'more appropriate', this is an important discussion and should not be swept under some rug.

 

To clarify I'm suggesting there may be a better home for this thread than the Maples forum. For example: Plants: In the News.

 

I had already tagged it for this forum.

 

No chance, not doing a professional chainsawing job like that. He'll be innocent, or at worst an accomplice. A 60-y.o. has also been arrested.

 

Definatly agree. The 60 year old interview would be very interesting to hear.
I have walked to the Sycamore gap and to carry a chainsaw there at night by a 16 year old would not be easy.

 

It is sometimes the case with certain attention-seeking individuals to seek fame by whatever means they can. Famous, infamous, who cares?
I hope the perpetrators' names are not publicized but that their neighbours learn who they are and shun them. (I also hope the legal system throws the book at them!)