The Sycamore Gap tree is gone, but its stump is pushing back.
Three years after the tree was illegally felled near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, numerous leafy shoots are sprouting around the base of the stump. The shoots stand 0.6 to 0.9 metres tall and form a thick ring around the fenced-off stump.
Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust at Hadrian’s Wall, said he is “filled with hope by the way nature is taking its course.”
“These flourishing shoots are really encouraging and show the special measures we’ve taken, including reducing soil compaction around the roots and limiting human disturbance, are paying off,” Poad said, adding that the work is intended to give the stump “the best possible chance to thrive.”
Poad said rangers will keep watching the stump and manage it “depending on how it develops”.
The Sycamore Gap tree had stood for at least a century in a dip near Hadrian’s Wall. It became a favourite subject for photographers and appeared in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. In 2016, the Woodland Trust named it “English tree of the year.”
On September 28, 2023, a farmer found the tree had been cut down with a chainsaw. Rangers later found its crown resting partly on Hadrian’s Wall. Archaeologists later found the fall damaged part of the 117-kilometre fortification, built by the Roman army from about 122 C.E.
Investigators identified Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers as responsible. In May 2025, both men were found guilty of two counts each of criminal damage and were later sentenced to four years and three months in prison. Earlier this year, Carruthers was released early and will serve the rest of his sentence at home under strict conditions.
Graham and Carruthers have continued to deny responsibility and have not said why the tree was cut down. During their eight-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court, prosecutors described their actions as “mindless thuggery” and said they cut down the tree for a “bit of a laugh.”
Officials have also tried to preserve the tree’s legacy. The largest section of the felled sycamore is now on display at the Sill: National Landscape Discovery Center in Northumberland National Park, about 3.2 kilometres from the site. The 1.8-metre section is the centrepiece of a permanent exhibition, “Sycamore Gap: Coming Home”.
Officials also collected seeds from the tree and raised them into saplings. The 49 “Trees of Hope” saplings, one for each foot of the tree’s final height, were distributed to people and communities across the United Kingdom.
“Clearly it will be many years before the Sycamore Gap tree regains its previous majesty,” according to the Times.
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