Sycamore Gap tree: Remarkable shoots bring hope 3 years on

Three years after vandals felled England’s beloved Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw, the stump is sprouting new life. A thick ring of leafy shoots, now 2 to 3 feet tall, surrounds the fenced-off base, offering cautious hope for the landmark near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.

The National Trust, which owns the site, credits targeted conservation work for the progress. “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,” Andrew Poad, the trust’s general manager at Hadrian’s Wall, said, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine.

Rangers are monitoring the stump closely and will manage it based on how it develops.

How the Sycamore Gap tree was cut down

The tree was found felled on the morning of Sept. 28, 2023. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers drove from their homes in Cumbria and cut it down with a chainsaw during Storm Agnes.

The two men were convicted in May 2025 on two counts each of criminal damage and were each sentenced in July 2025 to four years and three months in prison. Carruthers has since been released early and is serving the rest of his sentence at home under strict conditions, according to Smithsonian.

Prosecutors described the act as “mindless thuggery,” saying the men did it “for a bit of a laugh.” Both have maintained their innocence.

When the tree fell, its crown partially came to rest atop Hadrian’s Wall, the 73-mile Roman fortification begun around A.D. 122. The fall damaged part of the ancient structure.

What the new growth means

The sprouting shoots are a sign that the stump’s root system is still alive, but they are only a beginning. The original Sycamore Gap tree, which stood for more than a century, cannot be restored — any comeback will have to grow from the remaining roots over many years.

The landmark carried enormous cultural weight before its destruction. The Sycamore Gap tree appeared in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” and the Woodland Trust named it English Tree of the Year in 2016. Its loss sparked widespread grief, but it also inspired conservation action.

Preserving the Sycamore Gap tree’s legacy

Officials have worked to honor the tree’s heritage beyond the stump itself. The largest section of the felled trunk is on permanent display at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre in Northumberland National Park, about 2 miles from the original site.

The exhibition, called “Sycamore Gap: Coming Home,” features benches and wooden pieces inscribed with phrases such as “old friend” and “from this land.”

In a more symbolic gesture, the trust recovered seeds from the felled tree and grew them into saplings. Forty-nine “Trees of Hope” — one for each foot of the tree’s final height — went to people and communities across the United Kingdom as a living memorial.

What comes next for the Sycamore Gap tree

The National Trust will keep watching the stump and adjust its care as needed. The road from a chopped stump to a thriving landmark will take years, but the new growth suggests the Sycamore Gap tree’s roots — and its meaning to Hadrian’s Wall visitors — have not been lost.

Reporting from Smithsonian Magazine contributed to this story.