Sycamore Gap

While I was out today I passed an enormous old tree that is a contender for Tree of The Year this year. I sincerely hope that no selfish eejit now takes it into their head to do a copy cat and chop it down.

We walk past two trees every day. Have pictures of various grandchildren walking past them throughout the years. Then after Storm Arwen we were horrified to see that one of them had come down in the storm. However, two years on and it’s still alive albeit lying on its side.

Man in his 60s has also been arrested in connection with the tree felling.

It never was going to be one 16y old lad with a chain saw.

Urmstongran

It never was going to be one 16y old lad with a chain saw.

No, it wasn't.

Read on another forum a local said that the landowner was a "grump" who was fed up of tourists going there!!.

If its dad and son ( I am guessing here) then what chance did the 16 year old have.

Is this something that weird people on social media think is triumphant?
Like people who count the number of countries they have been to, mountains they've climbed, sexual conquests?........
Whatever?
I am struggling with the reasoning.

More like a kid and grandad if he’s in his 60 s or maybe he just gave a lad some pocket money to help him

But I knew categorically it wasn’t a 16 year old lad by himself
I always thought it would be the landowner be interesting to see if it is

Lomo123

Read on another forum a local said that the landowner was a "grump" who was fed up of tourists going there!!.

I thought the National Trust owns the land where the tree was situated?

That could be an explanation, couldn't it.
A grumpy landowner.
What do they say about it?
If it's the NT, that's different.
It's not spontaneous, very much planned.
15 minutes of fame?

The National Trust owns the land. If it were privately owned there would probably have been a tree preservation order in place.

Clearly somebody with an axe to grind. No pun intended.

MayBee70

Somebody told me that local farmers were getting fed up of people leaving gates open and leaving litter everywhere.

I was also told that something to that effect was put on Wikipedia soon after it happened but it was removed very quickly.

GrannyGravy13

I was totally gobsmacked when I saw this, if and when these criminals are caught I hope they get the proverbial book thrown at them 🤬🤬🤬

I hope they get their legs chopped off .....see how they like it!

Grammaretto

That could be an explanation, couldn't it.
A grumpy landowner.
What do they say about it?
If it's the NT, that's different.
It's not spontaneous, very much planned.
15 minutes of fame?

15 minutes of fame?
Except that the 16 year old cannot be named for legal reasons.

Others who might be involved who are over 18 can be.

Unless, of course, the youth boasts about it on Tik Tok, Twitter.

Something died in me when I saw and heard what had been done to this beautiful tree. The tears definitely fell when I saw the fresh, healthy inside of the felled tree. I just would not know what to say to the mindless wretches that did this.

Seems the thing to do now! Have a grudge against something then plot how to get rid of it! The owner of the property next door to me has hated my Twisted Willow tree for 14 years! Told one of his tenants he wanted it gone! Decided it had cracked his very low almost not there wall! So threatened Court action till we had to have a perfectly healthy tree killed! Despite the fact that for 6-7 years a dead rotting car had been slammed against the small wall! No proof so this vindictive man won! So there are two vindictive people at least loose in the world! 2 trees that should be standing strong are now gone! Nasty world we live in now!

The photo was a little hard to judge, but to me it looked as if the tree was compromising Hadrian's Wall, which is rather more important than the tree.

That said, it should have been left to the proper authorities to judge if the tree should be felled and to do so if they decided it was necessary.

Vandalism has always happened and there seems to be no real way of combatting it legally, so we are back to a change in people's attitudes being needed.

There’s 73 miles of Hadrians Wall. Are you thinking the sycamore might have caused some kind of domino effect?

Lomo123

Read on another forum a local said that the landowner was a "grump" who was fed up of tourists going there!!.

The Landowner has stated that he did not give permission for the tree to be cut down, according to BBC News.

Tree vandalism seems to be relatively common, a few years ago it was the Glastonbury Thorn...Such a shame people can only think of their own twisted pleasure and the harm they can do in life

CoolCoco

Numerous ancient trees have been destroyed in the name of HS2 - legal vandalism. It’s all sickening. When will we respect the natural world?

This, absolutely this.

One person's vandalism is not Ok but when the government does it for the sake of 'progress' that's fine?
I know it's not so on GN but the actions of the powers that be speak volumes about their attitude to the world around us.

Pure vandalism! Beautiful iconic living thing!😭. My question is why? Why would you think this was ever ok?? Hope they throw the book at them!😠😠😠🤬

Hardly iconic. It was seen in a film. That's all.

Pity to cut any tree down for no good reason of course.

So sad..😪