Who cut down the Sycamore Gap tree? Everything we know

A second defendant accused of felling the famous Sycamore Gap tree, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage, denies the offences.

Adam Carruthers, 31, from Wigton in Cumbria, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to deny causing £622,191 worth of damage to the much-photographed Northumberland tree.

He also denied causing £1,144 worth of damage to Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The tree was felled overnight in September last year and hit the wall.

Co-defendant Daniel Graham, 38, of Carlisle, did not appear for the hearing because he was “unavoidably detained,” said his attorney Christopher Knox.

Graham had previously denied the same offenses at a district court hearing.

Judge Paul Sloan set a trial date of December 3 and granted Carruthers conditional bail in the meantime.

The National Trust, which owns the land on which the tree stood, expressed hope in December that the sycamore would live on after scientists found that recovered seeds and cuttings showed positive signs of the ability to produce new growth.

There is also hope that the trunk of the original tree will grow back, but it may take up to three years before this is known for sure.

Where was the Sycamore Gap tree?

The oft-photographed tree, made famous by its appearance in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, was located next to Hadrian’s Wall and near the village of Once Brewed.

The Northumberland landmark, which served as inspiration for the beer at the nearby Twice Brewed Inn, was one of the most photographed in the country and was named Tree of the Year in 2016.

The pub has offered a reward of £1,500 to anyone who can provide information that can help find the perpetrator who cut down the iconic tree.

The 50-foot-tall tree was cared for by the Northumberland National Park Authority and the National Trust.

Where is the Sycamore Gap tree now?

The Sycamore Gap tree is reportedly kept in a secret location to protect it from souvenir hunters. According to the Sunday Times, police caught several passersby trying to take parts of the tree from the spot where it was felled.

Lady Jane Gibson, chair of the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership, told the newspaper: “The wood from the tree has been removed and stored in a secure location for safekeeping.

“There were fears that people would take pieces of it as souvenirs, as happened with the Berlin Wall when people took a piece as a souvenir. It is now being stored safely while we work on possible future uses for the wood.”

The National Trust has asked the public for suggestions on what to do with the leftover wood from the felled tree. Possibilities include building a bench where the tree once stood or even using it to make pencils.

In March, Northumberland National Park announced that most of the tree would be put on display at The Sill, a tourist attraction in Hexham, not far from where it once stood.

How old was the tree in Sycamore Gap?

The tree is estimated to be at least 300 years old. Experts say that new shoots are expected to grow from it, but the tree will never be the same again.

Andrew Poad, director general of the National Trust, said the stump was “healthy” and staff may be able to topple the tree: a technique that allows new shoots to grow from the base of a trunk. Rob Ternent, head gardener at Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, said the tree would start to grow again but would “never be the same shape or look as good as it did before”.

He said: “It’s worth a try, but I think livestock and wildlife will probably damage it too. It will be very difficult to restore it to its original state.”

“It’s coming to the end of its growing season now, but it will still have some life left next spring. It will probably be about 2.5 metres tall, but it will have lots of individual branches and be bushier. It was about 300 years old, so it will be a long time before it gets back to that size. It’s a huge shame.”