Sycamore Gap

MayBee70

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

It was very close to the Wall itself.. The roots of a tree that large extend a long distance and could well have been affecting the Wall. However, no-one has expressed any concern about that so I assume that the National Trust must have thought it OK.

I'm surprised that there aren't any of its offspring in the vicinity. I pull up or mow down thousands of sycamore seedlings every spring.

The stump will regrow a thicket of shoots, that's what sycamores do. It would be most unattractive and unphotogenic. It will never be a single stemmed tree again. I'd have it dug out completely and replaced. But it's not my garden ..

The tree could easily be replaced with a well grown specimen, though I don't know how good the growing conditions are in that particular exposed spot. It might take a very long time to achieve the old tree's dimensions.

But replacing it could well affect the Wall, which must surely have all sorts of protections on it as an ancient monument. It could be a dilemma.

The National Trust could make a mint selling artefacts made from its wood to tourists.... There would probably be enough to make a commemorative bench, or similar, to put by the Gap...

You have to have a licence to fell any tree above a certain size, so it was definitely a crime, the penalty for the farmer will come through his Farm Payments.

Breaking environmental rules can loose you your whole years payment

I was also thinking about a seat made from the wood

Yes it’s amazing there is only the one as sycamore is notorious for easy quick growing I have to pull hundreds out my garden every year as there is a big one opposite my house

Yes, I mentioned making items from the wood earlier
Sycamore is very good for carving and making spoons etc - love spoons?

Some very sick sad individuals who crave their moment of infamy maybe??

Why oh WHY. Is all I can say…madness!

This might be the best use of the wood.

👍

A new feature in The Gap!

@grandtanteJE65 it was a favourite stopping point along the wall, but not really near enough to really cause problems to the wall itself - which has much less desirable things along its route, including roads built along it, roundabouts cut through it and houses built over it!
@ExaltedWombat I take it you are not northern! It’s definitely done lot more than ‘just’ appear in a film. It has been tree of the year, it’s a favourite stopping point along the wall, place where many a marriage proposal has been made and ashes scattered. It’s a regular photo point, a tourist attraction, and the symbol of many local businesses amongst many other things. It was well known and iconic “up here” long before Kevin Costner rested beneath it on his (really direct) way from the white cliffs of Dover to Nottingham. It’s was at least iconic as those white cliffs, London Bridge or cheddar gorge.

I’m thoroughly disgusted at the destruction of that tree, our beautiful county has so much to offer but that tree was the icing on the cake🥵

I live nearby and it’s just unbelievable. There are many many posts on local social media suggesting punishment for the guilty party. Pinning out with pitchforks is one of the least messy.

Sycamore is a very poor quality wood, useful for carving or turning not construction, furniture etc

Katie59

Sycamore is a very poor quality wood, useful for carving or turning not construction, furniture etc

Really?

That's not what this site says. Though it does say it's not suitable for outdoor furniture.

www.englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk/species/sycamore/

MaizieD

Katie59

Sycamore is a very poor quality wood, useful for carving or turning not construction, furniture etc

Really?

That's not what this site says. Though it does say it's not suitable for outdoor furniture.

www.englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk/species/sycamore/

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of sycamore furniture, Oak Ash, Beech, Pine and of course all the tropical woods. It’s a nice specimen tree but I would not be surprised if most Sycamore was used a firewood

I have a thick sycamore bread board, made on Arran.

My harp has sycamore trim on the sound box. It's a lovely, pale wood, sycamore.

Like others, I cannot understand the mentality of someone who would fell a tree like that. It has to have been someone with extremely screwed up ideas.

Thankfully, the stump will sprout new growth.

Stalin (in)famously said, “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of a million is a statistic

Does this apply to trees as well?

Katie59

MaizieD

Katie59

Sycamore is a very poor quality wood, useful for carving or turning not construction, furniture etc

Really?

That's not what this site says. Though it does say it's not suitable for outdoor furniture.

www.englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk/species/sycamore/

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of sycamore furniture, Oak Ash, Beech, Pine and of course all the tropical woods. It’s a nice specimen tree but I would not be surprised if most Sycamore was used a firewood

It's excellent for kitchen utensils etc.

Not commonly used for furniture now but here is an example.
Only £11,450 if you're thinking of buying it!

In olden days different woods were used to make certain items depending on their specific qualities. Sycamore was traditionally used for kitchen utensils including Welsh love spoons, toys and musical instruments. It’s use in the kitchen including Baggs bread board is because it has astringent qualities and does not absorb smells.

The old uses of woods is a fascinating subject. I did a whole project on it when home schooling my son.

I was told by a tree man that if you have several sycamores their roots will entwine and if you chop one down this will encourage the stump to regrow. Idk how true that is. I was also told in some areas sycamore seeds are infertile so you can grow them without thousands of babies. Idk how true that is either.

It’s so sad that a tree has been felled. I’m glad that this has caused such and outcry.

But you know tree falls caused by climate change are going to happen a lot more than this one tree. Storms will happen with more energy and destructive power more frequently now.

I’m happy to see that people love trees but despair that no one is actually doing anything about all the other things in the world that we are destroying because we aren’t taking action in climate change.

It’s all too easy to have a 16 year old “vandal” as the scapegoat when we’re are all in this together and all of us are to blame for the destruction of the biodiversity of all life on this little blue planet we all call home.

VenusDeVillendorf

It’s so sad that a tree has been felled. I’m glad that this has caused such and outcry.

But you know tree falls caused by climate change are going to happen a lot more than this one tree. Storms will happen with more energy and destructive power more frequently now.

I’m happy to see that people love trees but despair that no one is actually doing anything about all the other things in the world that we are destroying because we aren’t taking action in climate change.

It’s all too easy to have a 16 year old “vandal” as the scapegoat when we’re are all in this together and all of us are to blame for the destruction of the biodiversity of all life on this little blue planet we all call home.

This is nonsense. The outcry is justified because it was a wanton act of vandalism. Nothing to do with climate change. We’re all aware of that. It’s a separate issue. 🤔

I was told by a tree man that if you have several sycamores their roots will entwine and if you chop one down this will encourage the stump to regrow. Idk how true that is. I was also told in some areas sycamore seeds are infertile so you can grow them without thousands of babies. Idk how true that is either.

I could say 'Don't believe everything you're told, 25Avalon

We have a modest acreage of land on which we have several sycamore stumps. Some felled many years ago. They regrow like crazy! And very unsightly it is, too...

I suppose it is possible that some sycamore trees might be infertile, but my living ones certainly aren't!

I noted from a BBC news bulletin yesterday that seeds have been taken from the felled tree in the hope that they might be viable and grow. Also that there is a proposal to try grafting some of the material from the tree. So hopeful of a substitute clone...

The Tree has a preservation order on it. I believe the fine is around £20,000. Now I wonder how that will be paid.

As usual there is a blame culture going on in social media regarding a local farmer. I doubt his involvement in this as his woes have nothing to do with the National Trust. Sadly he lives close enough for the hiccup Sherlocks to throw there shackles.

I felt very sad and very angry when I saw this news. Have known about this lovely tree and seen pictures of it but never yet got to see it. Any vandalism is awful but this is worse than that it is premeditated destruction, so there is no excuse whatsoever. Someone who jumps up at a branch for fun and it breaks off, is thoughtless and should be told off but this is appalling. With the event of social media where some idiots idea of fun is shown to others who then copy the bad behaviour, worse ideas are given to such hooligans . Well firstly I do hope that the local people find out who he is, for sure. Then that there is as heavy a punishment as possible, so if I was given the opportunity to suggest the punishment , there would be no mobile phone , no internet etc until he was 18, and I would see that he had to spend every weekend and all holidays as a volunteer for RHS , National Trust, Woodland trust, planting new trees to replace in the far distant future what he has taken away from everyone, or working in local peoples gardens under supervision, so that the punishment would at least contact with this dreadful crime. I am normally a law abiding citizen and do not approve of trial by social media or internet, but in this case I would make sure that all people in the local area knew who he was and he would be banned from everything possible. Not picked for any sport, no invitations to any parties, ignored where possible so that it was made clear to him the enormity of what he had done and that his disgraceful behaviour would never be something to boast about but to be eternally ashamed of his action. He will not live long enough to make good his behavior and when (if ever) he grows up and recognises what a dreadful thing he has done , he might want to move away from the area and change his name, but he will never be free of the knowledge of what he wantonly did to the world by his actions.

The tree is to be lifted to a safe place(Thursday 12 October).

The tree is DEAD,
so why not just put some rods(and holes) into both dead ends, lift the tree up and put it back where it was along with a support.
At least those who may have never seen it LIVE,will get a chance to see it.
The tree will be carted off somewhere and then be cut up,remember the incident at Plymouth?