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The sycamore gap tree situation is dumb theres far more trees worth getting up in arms about! First off ITS NOT AN OLD TREE WITH ANY REAL HERITAGE. It is no more important than any other ornamental invasive tree in some randoms garden. All of its publicity is fairly recent and it was most recently made famous by being in a couple movies. The farmers responsible have been farming thier land generationally far longer than that trees age and thier farm was in the process of being handed over by the bank to a mega farm how is that not a better cause than some naff tree that happens to look nice. Isnt it far better to actually protect the important hedgerows and real old native trees that do impact our local ecosystems ,for the better, and the farmers that keep Britain running!!!! Not to mention that dumb tree has had more publicity posthumously than when it was standing there! Its a fantastic example of misplaced blame,rage, information and malice over social medias. As well as being a perfect example of all these people coming out the woodwork as ""environmentalists"" where they dont help the environment they just sound like it and collect praise or worse money from it. Environmentalism has completely been over run by capitolism and now has little to do with helping the planet. ITS GOOD THAT TREE IS GONE, GREAT JOB YOUNG FARMERS THAT DID IT!
@@AYE_TV 🇬🇧We were once called Great Britain, now were are called the uk fact! Those of us who originate here consider the ground beneath us Britain because we are British! Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, now called uk was Great Britain😜👍🇬🇧
If you want to be really pedantic: Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. The British Isles are those three plus Ireland and all the offlying islands. The United Kingdom is a political, and not a geographical concept.
A man of vision planted a tree he would never see in its glory, two men with no vision or care chopped it down. I think it speaks volumes about our lack of vision and care in this country.
Capitalism is the disease, conserving nothing, caring for nothing, neither the past nor the future. Only socialism can give us a society where decisions can be made above and beyond profit ueber alles. As Chico Mendes said, "Ecology without class struggle is just gardening".
@@andybrice2711 yes it wasn't a random bout of axe swinging. I hope we find out eventually what their motivation was. In general sycamore trees in the UK are hideous. But that specific one was special to a lot of people and it was a horrible act to cut it down. Ok it's sprouted at the base, but it's basically been destroyed.
I mourn the loss of trees as well so I decided 18 years ago to plant native trees and it's been 44.000 so far. Thanks for your insight and great videos
@@GSBMxyz how many are still alive, voles, hares, rabbits, grey squirrels, deer, and drought all take their toll. It amazes me how companies greenwash their activities by planting trees when it is keeping them alive that is important.
@@waltermcphee3787 You have to factor that in. I'd reckon if 1 in 3 make it to maturity,that's OK. But 33% of a few is still some,while 33% of nil is still nil. Yes...some companies,councils,community groups DO plant loads of whips and give no follow up,but that's not got a lot to do with people who plant trees on their own land.
I have a couple maples growing in a pot that stunts their growth, and I can't get them anywhere. Landlord doesn't want trees planted in this yard either.
@@LeaveCurious two sentences, the complete story nailed! The biggest challenge right there. making people care more about nature than their next big purchase, or their new bigger house, or their next trip abroad. I build planes, we live on ruining the place now. sad
I once worked on a Tree Protection Order team at work, for a few months. It's astonishing how many people hate trees. If you buy a £M house in the woods and want to chop down all the trees around your house, there is something seriously wrong with you. Go and live in a luxury flat on top of a skyscraper, if you hate trees so much.
What I find amazing is the sheer amount of hate in the world. People feel way too strongly about certain things that make no sense. Wheter it trees, cyclists, people that look different... it's insane that people can't just accept they are one of over 8 billion people and, while they have their place, every other one of those 8 billion are also allowed their place in the world and to have their views on n equal footing. With that attitude there is no room for hate, just understanding, openess and curiosity. People that hate really do need some help, they aren't doing well.
My neighbours hate that I have a forest garden, they think it 'blocks their light' but the fact is our gardens in the Terrace are North facing, they aint getting much light anyway! Meanwhile they just have gross concrete covering their entire back yard.
Trees can block the sunlight and that's not always a good thing it can stop other plants and trees getting the sunlight they deserve some trees are more selfish than others 👍
The tree outside my house had been neglected for years by the local council and during a period of high wind, the tree came down. It was rotting from the inside as another tree in the road did.
My son and I did the Hadrian’s Walk during Covid and spent an amazing hour there on our own resting during the hike, eating our sandwiches and marvelling and the stunning beauty of the tree and its surroundings. I actually cried when I read the devastating news of this tree and still feel it today a year on like you lost someone close.
I went to Malta years ago to gozo and got a photo of me next to the arch, it fell down but I didn't care I was just glad I had the photo for the memory, one day I'll be dead and the photo destroyed 👍 until then I can have the memory when I'm dead nothing matters 👍
What happened to the Sycamore Gap Tree is so much more than an act of vandalism against the tree, but was in fact an act of violence against the millions of people who loved its aesthetic as well as its connection to our collective past and its transcendent reflection of time. The punishment of the perpetrators should be commensurate with the scale of this act and should serve as a warning to anyone who would contemplate such evil, whether out of ignorance or truly malicious intent.
What crushes me is when you look at the stump and see how incredibly healthy the tree was. It would have probably stood for hundreds of years. I can't abide Vandals of any kind. People who decide to destroy or deface something simply because they can are Monsters.
It's so good to learn of other people who are emotionally attached to trees. I've cried at the unnecessary killing of 4 trees in my life, actualy grieved. Some may think me bonkers, but I'm not alone. I plant trees.
@@Goonerson1969 I'm being facetious. The difference is that they are in a location that is heavily wooded and ecological disturbance to create and maintain habitat heterogeneity. But as far as the ecosystem is concerned, it doesn't make much difference whether it's a beaver or a human, the trees still been cut down ;)
You are so right that we need to restore our woodlands and forests. I am so fortunate to live on the west Coast of Scotland, where we have remnants of stunning temperate rainforest. We are working hard in Kintyre to restore it, to make people aware of what we have. If only more people listened and cared. Every tree is an ecosystem supporting hundreds of other species of plants and animals, losing each one is devastating. Thank you for the brilliant videos you produce that make such a difference.
It breaks my heart when I hear fellow Scots calling the ubiquitous plantations around the country forests. Glad to hear you and others are putting work in to protect and grow our actual forest.
More trees in the uk than there have been for centuries / millennia. Our townscapes are significantly greener than at any point in the past. I don’t get the hysteria. Even the beautiful ‘gap’ tree isn’t that old.
@@markgadsby5568 There may be more tress, but at least where I am the majority of those trees are in large monoculture plantations for the timber industry. I'd like us to protect our actual native forest rather than solely prioritise the number of trees. Plantations both arent great for biodiversity and arent particularly nice to spend time in.
@markgadsby5568 because still there are many trees being cut down, sure we are finally fixing the mess but then turn around and cut those same trees because of the dumbest reasons
I did a Sycamore Gap tree video last year because as someone who has filmed Hadrian's Wall [and been a forester] I felt I had something to contribute. The best comment I got summed up the matter neatly: Green Spirit Arts wrote It was not just the lone tree itself that was impacted, but the location too that helped generate the feeling of awe, reverence and beauty. The location with the tree in the center of the gap had symmetry, elegance and because it was so approachable, could be photographed and enjoyed in multiple seasons as a thing of beauty. The combination of strength and vulnerability…the idea of endurance all by itself in the elements yet sheltered and embraced by the land itself all worked together to stir strong emotional responses in anyone who viewed images of the tree or who visited the tree in-person. None of the other large and impressive trees mentioned in this video have locations that could match. While the act of felling the tree does indeed appear to be skillfully done, the motive could possibly be tangentially personal; if a marriage that had been started there in an engagement, or performed at the tree itself had now come to a bitter end, the felling of the tree could be a personal act of grievance, for example. I hope we do find out someday why this sad act was committed. One final point, humans worshipping AT the site of special trees is not the same as the worshipping OF a sacred tree. Most often, the tree is a living, symbolic presence for all of Nature in general, though there are exceptions. I’m recalling that the famous Banyan Tree in Lahaina, Maui also suffered a near-fatal event having endured the fire there. And the tree has sprouted new green leaves recently. It is this regenerative quality that trees have that sends a particular message of hope and renewal to humans. The story of this tree is not over.
@@schmoshmaholuc❤ So, for me, as a Forester, as an Englander, as a man ... ...this story moves me not to anger but to a desire to comprehend the violence...the minds of the perpetrators...I weep at the glacial speed that the truth comes out...I observe the grief and judgement of others And your comments help me process feelings of love, a love lost out of despair for the great trees of our nation. "National Trust" was lost in this ... £625k does not cover it..."Why? why? why?" Rings is my head. I hope we all find peace and not retribution, I would give a day, but not a year, for 10 minutes with those charged with the offense because I can find no "explanation" in the video...
What a fabulous video, i live a few miles from the site of this beloved tree, but you are 100% right about trees. We must protect woodland all over the UK, all over the World! Thanks for raising this
So through parents retiring and such me and my partner managed to buy a house this year (in this economy?!) and I doubt I will ever move from this house. The house itself is in disrepair and may need some serious money spent on it, but the garden is larger than most despite being in an old council estate, and just inside the border of the fence is what I can only imagine is at least a 200 year old oak tree (if not older). This tree would need three or four people to hug the perimeter of it, its massive! I'm getting the age from guessing, but I grew up in the town and the school I went to as a kid was Victorian built, there are existing photographs of the school from the 1900's and the oak trees around it which still exist now, the trees were tall back then.. It feels magical to have such an old tree on my own slice of land, and judging from the amount of baby trees I pulled up in spring the darn thing is still very happy.
I'm lucky enough to live in similar situation, 1890s ukschool house with a huge oak and hazel, ash etc but my favourite is my oak, beautiful thing., I'm fortunate to have lovely black fertile soil so the acorns self seed. So wonderful.will only ever leave in a box,
I just can’t comprehend the mind set of someone that would do this. There seems to be such a disconnect between people and nature these days, yet we are part of nature, we can’t exist outside of it… (Fellow arborist here, Merrrist Wood College)… I sometimes feel we don’t deserve this beautiful rich wonderful world we live in 😥
I feel the same way. I simply _cannot_ understand why anyone would - or how anyone could - do something like this. I tend to not really think too much about all the stuff that's being done to nature on a small and larger scale... I cannot bare to think of it. But that's also why I watch videos like this, and from Mossy Earth, and other channels. It is the thing that restores some level of hope in me. And I'm also happy that nowadays I can finally financially support the restoration of nature. 💚 We have to do this together
The sycamore gap tree situation is dumb theres far more trees worth getting up in arms about! First off ITS NOT AN OLD TREE WITH ANY REAL HERITAGE. It is no more important than any other ornamental invasive tree in some randoms garden. All of its publicity is fairly recent and it was most recently made famous by being in a couple movies. The farmers responsible have been farming thier land generationally far longer than that trees age and thier farm was in the process of being handed over by the bank to a mega farm how is that not a better cause than some naff tree that happens to look nice. Isnt it far better to actually protect the important hedgerows and real old native trees that do impact our local ecosystems ,for the better, and the farmers that keep Britain running!!!! Not to mention that dumb tree has had more publicity posthumously than when it was standing there! Its a fantastic example of misplaced blame,rage, information and malice over social medias. As well as being a perfect example of all these people coming out the woodwork as ""environmentalists"" where they dont help the environment they just sound like it and collect praise or worse money from it. Environmentalism has completely been over run by capitolism and now has little to do with helping the planet. ITS GOOD THAT TREE IS GONE, GREAT JOB YOUNG FARMERS THAT DID IT!
probably safe to just assume they had severe mental health issues, and the solution to that is actually providing healthcare and not just pretending that mental illness doesn't exist.
For the other tree lovers out there, I just started reading The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben…all about the ways tress communicate, socialise, interact with their environment…amazing read….Wohlleben was a ‘traditional’ forester who (due to observation and deep humanity) changed his attitude to industrial forestry. I think people interested in the work you do at Leave Curious will appreciate it. Thanks for the video, I do love your content and appreciate it.
@ it is, I am delighting in it and telling everyone about the amazing facts. It’s also making me feel a little sad as I see the destruction we have wrought on the environment, before we even know what we are destroying 😢
The felling of this emblem of British heritage is indicative of the way our heritage generally is now under attack. We didn't realise we needed to protect this tree and it was taken from us.
This country consumes more rain forest trees than any other. Your heritage is under attack by you. After you've cut down the Amazon jungle there is nowhere else.
Exactly. You've got children being brought up to hate our country and it's history and we're surprised that they do heinous things like this or go on killing sprees in Southport...
The kind of people that do thinks like this like to cause distress to others. They think upsetting others makes them powerful because they simply lack the capacity to earn any kind of social kudos by constructive means. They are real life examples of online trolls, any attention, even negative attention is better than them being irrelevant.
@@geoffsclassiccarsHistory tells us that Christians are happy and often called by god to persecute anyone who has a different belief .proper Christians are as rare as hens teeth .
Dear leave curious and anyone it concerns, I completed a college course in arboriculture and forestry and am hooked on it, next year I'm going to uni to learn about ecology, and I would like you to know it's my goal, my dream to recover these temperate rainforests and save the Highlands of Scotland, reintroduce an apex predator, and beavers and bison
As a Californian that only recently studied ecology as a hobby, and bought a study course via the savory Institute; I have also grown passionate about rewilding, and adapting agriculture to honor the timeless cycles and processes that have driven nature across time. With that knowledge, and the way I think admittedly, I have found that the general ecological range that could work with rewilding and invigorating the Scottish ecosystem is between a grassland, a woodland savanna, and of course, the temperate rainforest, by managing the sheep in a way that emulates the wild herds of once upon a time, which usually includes paddock fences and rotational grazing, and dedicated wildlife corridors for the rewilding, and the possible hopeful return of lynxes and wolves. The agricultural conservation frontier I hope to pursue here in the states is to help our livestock ranchers gear up with defense tactics to calm the fear of wolves stereotypically eating live stock. Electric fences, warning, flags, favorite guardian, dog breeds, and of course, defensive cattle like Texas Longhorns, and others I imagine are part of the solution. Growing recently acquainted with my paternal Irish lineage with the last name McCarty; it is my dearest hope that the Irish can reclaim wolves with our crowned name for them that translates to the son of land. I also happen to be as old as the Yellowstone Wolf reintroduction. My wake up call of course, was the savory Institute, briefly working at a wolf conservation center where I would explain my ideas, and my studies with the Savory Institute so far.
There is an old oak tree at my childhood school it has been there since before the school was built which is I believe was almost 170 years ago. The first school building was placed near it and then over the many years it has become a very large school, yet the tree remains the same. To no surprise the school is named after the tree and it's more than a tree, it is a symbol. I was looking at some very old pictures and the tree almost looks the same(black and white photos from early on, I think the first building was built). I wonder how old the tree is.
It’s a landmark of the north east and Northumberland! Imagine if someone took down the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower so I agree the outcry is entirely justified
Exactly. I didn't love seeing that tree because it was on social media, or because it was in a film. It was a focal point of local walks. There is a small wood next to Crag Lough. That was another focal point on my walks along Hadrian's Wall. I say was, as I've not been back since the loss of the Sycamore. It's still too soon. I used to love visiting for walks and popping into local pubs (the Twice Brewed Inn has both good beer and good food). It was pretty much the only place you could sit for any shade along that stretch if it was a sunny day. The tree was in a picture perfect position and known world wide due to photos and paintings, but it was also a well loved feature of the local landscape that meant enough to people, they chose to share important moments of their life with the tree. Some proposed there, some had their ashes scattered there. It was a unique feature of the landscape, in the same way an interesting looking rock formation is. Things like that stand out to people and come to mean something. Sometimes people just have an emotional attachment to a specific tree. My town is full of trees, if any are felled, I feel it, but there's one particular tree in town, that if anything ever happens to it, will hit me harder. For some reason that tree is extra special to me. I love the sound the leaves make in the wind, I love the shape of it, I love many things about that tree. People walk by it every day and probably don't give it a second glance, but to me it is special. For a lot of people the Sycamore Gap tree was special, not because it was a famous tree, but because it had special importance for them. Things can have a special significance for many reasons. Some it was purely because it was photogenic, but even then, if it gets people outdoors and connecting with nature, that's not a bad thing. Even if they only want to see it because it's a landmark like the Eiffel tower, they're still out in that natural environment and it can be pretty wild up there. Feeling the elements out in nature makes people feel more connected to the natural environment and therefore care more about it. I also care about woodlands and losses of them, both current and historic. When I visited Slovenia, it struck me that aside from how mountainous it is, it's probably similar to how a lot of the UK would have been as there are trees everywhere you look and the mix of them seemed very similar to our native species. I've done a fair amount of conservation work and plan to continue with that, so both care about the bigger picture and am proactive about trying to improve things, but I also had an emotional attachment to this one tree. It's possible to be in both camps. I also think that the other reason people were so upset is because of how and why the tree was lost. It wasn't for so called "development", where even if you don't personally agree with them removing trees for it, rather than just building elsewhere, there's at least some sort of logic. This was revenge and vandalism. There are so many things they could have chosen to do to take revenge against NT, but they chose to potentially (thankfully it's regrowing) kill a living thing that meant a lot to so many people and would forever change the local landscape. Had it been diseased, a threat to local species etc. and had to be taken down because of that, people would still have been heartbroken, but there would be a valid reason for it. People would still have been heartbroken, but not as angry as even if it wasn't what they wanted, there would be a valid, logical reason for it. Vandalism is not a valid or logical reason. Taking anger out on a living thing, loved by many, because you're angry at an organisation is what annoyed so many. It lacked thought and respect for others and for the tree, a living thing. That's why so many people were angry about it. The fact it was a famous tree means people all over the world were angry, but had it not been, a lot of people from the North East would have still felt the same way. I don't understand why some people hate trees so much. When new ones are planted, dodgy youths often snap them. I imagine many people have witnessed the aftermath of this and felt anger at the mindless vandalism and felt bad for the poor tree and disappointed for the people who had gone to the effort of planting the tree to help improve the local area. It upsets and angers a lot of people. I think this to many felt like a scaled up version of that mindless vandalism. Rather than idiots, for whatever reason randomly deciding to get a kick out of killing a tree that they've just walked by, this was premeditated. I remember at the time one of the thoughts in my head was "why do some people hate trees so much?" While I and many see them as living things, some clearly see them as just a thing, that has no worth and means nothing.
Are you Novocastrian or Zoarastrian? No I Am Church Of Ingerland. Sword of Damocles. Hangs Swinging Repentance. is a short sentence. Compared to 'Precipice' forever falling into the bottomless abyss. Lost In Space Time Continuum With your heart conscience sometimes known as super ego, with no one listening but Y o u r s e l f Gandalf.
My local council are always banging on about the importance of trees for the environment and their positive effect on mental health. And then they cut down almost every tree in our local park, and along the local roads.
The council benefits from having lower maintenance costs the more trees they get rid of plus wood is very expensive at the moment so they can also make money from that as well.
We all have our trees! The Sycamore Gap tree was one of mine. As a ten-year-old, I walked Hadrian's wall, and it was at this place, that I first noticed an issue walking and had to rest. On our school trip, we got lost on our return to our Coach, and my injury worsened. I had developed Osteomyelitis, which had life-long health issues. I live in Sheffield which is one of the greenest cities in Europe. Trees can be placeholders for our lives. Thank you for this video which reminded me of this!
Watching that little sprout and fresh leaves coming back brought tears to my eyes. That seems to be the only thing which could really comfort me after such a horrendous act has been done. I'm glad you also showed a small clip of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves... this has been one of my favourite films for my entire life & I've always loved the scene with the tree. 🌳
“Missing the forest for the trees” Spot on mate! The UK is one of the most deforested countries in the world, and we love talking about preserving the “natural” landscape in its degraded state rather than regrowing and focusing our attention on global deforestation.
On the day it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had passed I was out walking past a magnificent Oak Tree and my eye caught sight of one of its acorns. Huge and massive. I picked it up, pocketed it and planted it in a pot on my window sill. Its now 2 foot tall with 8 leaves at the top..... but one day it will be on public view and as tall and as strong as its parent, and I myself will never see that..... as I will be gone by then.... but I love that thought of the gift. It will be known as the Queen Elizabeth Oak and I'm looking for that very special spot.
This is exactly how I feel!! It's great to hear people loving green spaces. More and more people I connect with are all expressing dismay at what's happening to the natural world. Hopefully we are at a crossroads where thanks are going to start getting better for nature! Keep on making these videos. They are amazing!
Great video! I think there is a weird attraction for some people to destroy something that is beautiful, valuable or just so blatantly "here for the taking". Somehow the dark side of "Because it's there", so easily available, so visible, there is an urge, a desire to destroy it. I love that you question our constant impulse to react emotionally to things, widely influenced by social media that thrives on quick and easy surges of anger. Yes, this is a sad thing, and as a horticulture and arboriculture student, and as a sensitive human being, I know the value of these old trees, even beyond the monetary aspect. But as you said, the main problem here is much more the heavy degradation of the landscape than the death of one single tree, as sad as it is, as beautiful as it was.
I'm Canadian, and we are way more famous for cutting forests down than caring for them (before anyone asks, yes, there is a lumberjack in my family!). But look at the flag of Canada: it's central feature is a maple leaf, that's how much we love trees! My observation is that they don't get due respect in Britain and totally agree that trees need to be much more a part of the culture, and I say that as someone who has lived in Britain nearly 50 years now. Talk about them more, celebrate them from childhood onwards, learn about trees and forests as part of the landscape as well as integral to our folklore, literature, poetry. It shouldn't have taken a devastating episode like Sycamore Gap to make trees part of the national conversation, but now that it has, keep the momentum going.
British people love the countryside and the woods left though not vast are cherished. However, the British people have no say if money exchanges hands and various developments are deemed necessary. With the recent vast influx of new residents I doubt things will improve.
This is probably the best video you have ever made, Rob. I wonder if possibly the two men cut down this tree to make the very point you have: we care deeply about individual trees, while happily turning a blind eye to the mass destruction of trees at home and elsewhere. Yes, the death of an old, 'iconic', deliberately-planted, naturalised species is very sad, but nothing compared with the deliberate, systematic and continuing razing of ancient native forests all over the world. How many people give money to save an area of woodland from developers? How many people give money to organisations like Trees for Life? Indeed, how many people, shocked and horrified by the apparently mindless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, responded by making a donation to an environmental organisation, or even to the National Trust, who were stewards of the tree? How many people, disgusted at this event, have themselves thoughtlessly cut down a tree, justifying that it 'belonged to them'? It would be a great thing if your video were seen by many more people, to start some discussions about our relationship to Nature and both our sense of ownership and our belief that we have a right to do what we want with living things. One of the most horrifying aspects of humanity is our insane ability to destroy. Two people with a chainsaw; six people with guns; a dozen people with high explosive: 150 years of life can be wiped out in under a minute, anywhere at any time.
1) If you want to safe trees, it would be astoundingly stupid to cut down an tree as a statement. That is like murdering somebody to fight againt violence. 2) Yes, people cut down trees, if they for example damange or endanger a house or if they need the wood. That is NOT the same as cutting a tree as a pure act of vandalism, especially not if that tree is obviously an especially beautiful and rare example.
This is such an important and beautifully spoken message. I love trees too, and the beauty and power of these unspoiled forests tugs at my heart. Temperate rainforests are so important to the life of our planet. Our counterpart here in the US is the forests of the Pacific northwest. Leave Curious, thank you for everything you're doing to teach and raise awareness. 💚🌿
Someone or some people chopped down more than 200 young trees in parks in Melbourne Australia last weekend. Estimated to be about $200,000 to replace them. Why do people do these things? Heartbreaking for the wonderful people who grew and planted these trees and for the local communities who were enjoying watching the trees grow.
The dismantling of society is the most significant factor for these types of destructive activities. When a society is transformed into a society of enemies, in order to promote economic growth, the natural world will be obliterated.
Possibly their views were going to be obstructed when the trees grew, people cut down trees on public land all the time to improve their view, the selfish barstards.
It's not the authorities cutting down the trees, they're the ones that planted them! It's the public, possibly their views were going to be obstructed when the trees grew. People cut down trees on public land all the time to improve their view.
I started a nature restoration effort, and this is the way to be, it builds you own life full of love to see and work with plants, thanks for the video.
I agree completely. The sycamore gap tree was famous and loved because of a film and social media. But it was a sycamore, non native, common and invasive in ancient woodland. There are so many beautiful trees, not so instagram worthy maybe, but fragile and vulnerable. And so few woods and forests that need to be conserved and restored. I live in South Wales, and area that should be covered in temperate rainforest, but there are only tiny fragments left.
Ever been to Cardiff Gate services on the M4? Not the place you'd think of for a relict of ancient woodland, but there is an old boundary bank there with old field maple coppice stools and a large small leaved lime coppice stool. Here's a link to a short vid in case you want to know more. ruclips.net/video/LDS-M9mnJzI/видео.html
@@anemone104 Yes, I have been to Cardiff Gate services, and like 99% of the other people who stop there didn`t see the ancient woodland trees. Thanks for showing me. I will look out next time I stop there. It`s an example of the tiny fragments of ancient woodland that are all that are left. The whole of the west side of Wales is in temperate rainforest zone but it doesn`t get chance to grow.
Reminds me of the 100+ year old Oak tree which stood in the garden of our old house. It was huge. Incredibly symmetric, beautiful, round canopy. Provided us and neighbour a lot of shade in the summer and you could hear all the buzzing of insects in it. The ground around the 1,2m thick base of it served as a racetrack for our 2 doggies. New owners just cut it down, without permits. I haven't got to know them, but I for sure hate them now.
This is why I don't like videos about very specific trees noted for their beauty, age or having some historical connection. It brings attention to them, and they become targets for morons with chainsaws who love an easy victim. It matters nothing about whether they are native or not, nothing about their age. It matters nothing whether they are still alive. I live within yards of one of the most beautiful Oak trees I have ever seen. It is absolutely charming, almost magical in appearance, and deserving of the title 'Ent.'. But, I will never be the one to bring attention to it, never mention it outside of the neighbourhood. I don't want it to fall prey to men like these who will cut it down - For a laugh. I don't know what goes on in boys/men's minds to do this kind of thing (I've never seen a female vandalising trees). Is it jealousy because the tree gets more attention than they do? Is it a show of power over something that has more fame, more adoration than they do? Is a tree an outlet for frustrated bullies? Is it to gain notoriety, to get one of their actions noted by the media? To have a dirty little secret that they can use to shock or show off to a select few, or the public? A case of desperation for their 15 minutes of fame? Because they've got exactly that... They're the Sycamore Gap guys now...although, in my opinion, the most significant Gap is the one between their ears.
Your channel is so great mate. I just know every video you make is something i will enjoy. And even then helps me plan trips around the uk to see the places you talk about I went to that ancient oak grove in exmoor this summer and had an amazing meditation there
I believe the answer to many of your questions regarding why many people don't care is: selfishness. To many people, if they are not directly affected / threatened, they will just shrug their shoulders and wonder what all the fuss is about. Keep up the good work
I think that's overly cynical and doesn't look at the context that people are in. In a world where the majority of people is just scraping by, you get bombarded by disastrous news each hour of every day, it's no wonder that people get desensitized to it all. And yes, when there's so much other stuff going on in your direct life, stuff that is further removed from you takes the back seat. Don't get me wrong, I think we need to completely reprioritize and restructure our lives, but that goes further than highlighting what's important. This was not meant as a personal attack, I hope you have a good day
That tree was picturesque and an individual, perfect for pictures and anthropomorphizing. Show people a ramshackle hedge of scrubby alder and willow in a ditch and they don't care if it's bulldozed. It's tough.
The reasons why this tree was important are many. I think one of the most important was that people feel that a single tree is a sign of hope for something that it's possible to protect where we feel helpless in the face of the obscenity of clear felling trees. I say this as someone who's been involved in woodland management all my life, as has my family. I KNOW it was a sycamore with all of those negative connotations and basically a lonely orphan but it was a symbol of what a tree IS to many people who don't know the history of woodlands
I have ornamental cherry and sycamore trees in my front garden. Earlier this year the local council decided to pollard one of the sycamores, the tree was left as a skeleton. It looks absolutely awful, but there are signs of life and regrowth and I hope that next year I’ll get to see it flourish again. Sadly they felled 2 of the cherry trees, against my wishes, and gave the remaining 2 a brutal trim. One looks to be dying now and the other looks awful. Since this was done we’ve had flooding that we never had before as those trees sucked up that water.
how on earth it can be legal to do these kinds of things will never make sense to me... cutting down someone else's tree, for no good reason (trees won't be a danger to fall on anyone unless they carry disease or are rotten/dying, or in extremely hard wind)
The issue is largely true for any problem or issue we got. You can compare coverage of certain conflicts vs coverage of other conflicts. You can talk about oil spills vs everyday pollution. You can talk about certain murders vs the many many that go unreported. Or more mundane things, like the preservation of one historic building and not caring about another, or remembering certain people and not others, and so on and so forth. You always get to that "but why is THIS one getting so much more attention?!" point. It can be frustrating, though to me, it's also interesting to think about - a glimpse into how people and society work, I think. And I do think you are absolutely right; there's no point just getting annoyed or discouraged by it, that's the reality we got to work with, and if we do want to get people to change how they think, we must understand and make use of how it does work in reality instead of hoping it'll just magically be different.
We had a huge Liandi in our garden that was very close to our house and the neighbours and was extremely scary during stormy weather. At the request of our neighbour we agreed to have it taken down. One day I came home from work and it was gone… I was so sad I cried!!
I've just discovered your channel and subscribed. Really interesting and thoughtful discussion. Thank you. I'm Welsh but in Sardinia at the moment. A place I know well and love. The island has a tumultuous history. The entire huge central plain was an ancient forest - taken centuries ago for agriculture and to build ships. What's left is in the mountains and most elsewhere has been developed as cork oaks, although that is a sustainable use. We do need to preserve what's there and renew sustainable woodlands. Here forestry has actually increased in the last 50 years. Now threatened again by the increased risk of wild fires caused by climate change. Thank you again for opening up these issues. Ps I know the sycamore gap well.
I don't know if anyone else is doing this sort of thing as an individual but I collect acorns and conkers, pot them up and try to bring them on. At two/ three years old I either give them to people who want to plant one to commemorate some part of their lives or I plant them in a safe place to let them hopefully grow and mature. Every little helps, perhaps. Thank you for sharing.
Some people mourn the loss of historical forests. I do and I have never been to Britain! My grandmother and mother were born there so I grew up hearing stories from their youth I was born in Canada, in British Columbia. I've spent my whole life keenly aware that where I live could end up looking like the British isles if we don't stop logging everything. I've walked old growth forests and then seen them clear cut in the following years. On Vancouver Island, we are in a battle to save the last of our old growth. Our government says they will ban logging of old growth, but have been stalling for years. I guess you have to grow up with trees to know them as essential to life.
I don't know about Britain as a whole, but in Watford you have to get permission to cut down ANY tree even on your own property, as my father found out and he was refused. near us is a small step hill called Cherry Dale Hill, and a large piece of land at the bottom became available. A developer brought the land to build an apartment block. The plans were passed but the plans didn't show a line of trees. An inspector went to check on the progress of the foundations and saw the trees were in the way of the planned foundations. When he questioned the builder they said they were going to cut them down and remove them. The town inspector immediately stopped the construction and permissio0n to remove the trees was refused and the builders had to submit new plans with the trees intact and the builders had to build around the trees, which actually greatly enhancing the finished project, and the trees were saved. I think this by-law should be adopted nationally, if it hasn't already been done.
I cut down a sycamore a couple of years ago and it is a real effort and a chore to continuously remove the epicormic growth from the stump re sprouting. That tree will not die as a result of being cut. If anything it will rejuvenate it.
I knew about this one tree because I have walked along that part of the wall back in the 70’s we stopped off at that part as there is a walk in one of the many documented walks of British historical walks. My Parents and I have done many of these walks when we lived in the UK. The Sycamore Gap was placed on the world map after Kevin Costner movie “Robin Hood-Prince of Thieves” which was released in 1991 the opening scene was of the Gap so anyone who had been there in person watching that movie would have remembered when they too walked along Hadron’s wall next to the tree. This part of Hadron’s wall is so well known, it’s the most picturesque scene in that part of the country. The views from the tops of both hills in all directions is breathtaking as too was the view walking towards the gap with this one mysterious majestic tree just standing there alone. Looking out from that one spot is stunning, the history that is bound up within the wall running alongside that one lonely tree. The stories that one tree could talk about, what it has been witnessed too throughout its short life to that point. Now it is embarked on a new era to its story, the story of surviving an act of total vandalism the new tentative growth from that once might magnificent tree. I’m so glad to hear that the trunk of the tree has been placed in a safe environment so that it can season so that one day a trusted artist can one day create the perfect piece from the trunk. It’s great that they managed to cultivate so many seedlings from that one tree so that they can grow and stand in testimony of the tree they were harvested from. My one and only question is “why” if it was for fame, then may their names be forever forgotten to history. How can that be achieved, Simple create a beautiful memorial brass plate to stand next to the site of the old tree have their names stamped on it and then take a new stamp X and stamp it over each letter of their name until it has been erased from the brass plate. Once done place the brass plate there at the sight of the “Lone Sycamore tree” for all to see, but never see their names as they have been erased from history. I hope their families shun them for the shameful act of vandalism.
This is so real I hate the fact that some singular trees have become just monoliths rather than be part of a reforestation project tbh. Recently scored an overwintering job with my friend at an estate with a massive emphasis on rewilding and habitat restoration as well as laying hedges and bringing coppice back into rotation etc. N can't wait.
When I was a kid I was a big fan of the American TV series Highlander (stay with me here this is actually relevant lol). The main character was a Scottish immortal who had lived for hundreds of years and whenever the series went into a sentimental direction they played this old Scottish song that I really really loved. A couple decades later and I watch the series again, and again that song really touched me. As you do these days I looked up the song and found out it's originally an Irish folk song called Bonny Portmore. In 1760 the Great Oak of Portmore fell in a windstorm some 100 years after the ancient forest around it was cut down to make room for a castle--which eventually was torn down anyway. The song beautifully and mournfully laments the loss of the great tree. This video reminded me of that. It's kind of a similar situation.
I’m embarrassed to say that I’d never heard of the Sycamore Gap Tree, I may possibly have seen photos in the past but didn’t connect it however when I saw it on the news and saw it in all its beautiful glory I shed a few tears, what a senseless act of something irreplaceable. You’re so right about the state of nature in Britain.
I live in Liverpool and we are so lucky to have thousands of trees. Streets and avenues are line with beautiful specimens. We have a number of parks which also have gorgeous varieties and I often think of what the city would look like without them. We are so lucky.
Good video. One thing that demonstrated to me the ridiculousness of our society is that the BBC reported that the first sapling was presented to Charles Windsor. The destruction of our forests has been done to make the privileged and powerful even richer. Yet we continue to shore up their privilege, power and wealth. I'd love to see widespread community woodlands and forests, for all people.
@@margaretmetcalfe9380 he is a hunter and meat eater, owns vast swathes of land and travels everywhere in a vehicle of some description or other. Yes you could argue it's what his role demands, but he could change and set an example, or abdicate and go live a simple life. Talk comes cheap, it's actions that really count.
@@margaretmetcalfe9380the Royal,family own millions of acres of the UK and use it to increase their wealth. They like nature and want it protected right up until it costs them a penny then they want others to contribute and support. William wants you to contribute to cancer charities whilst he rents buildings to them making a fortune.
They cut it down as another blow to destroying our British culture and people reacted this way because deep down they know it was another big blow, even tho it was just one tree and it was only 150 years old.. it takes us back in our imaginations to a time when Britain was a beautiful land, the population was a quarter of what it is now, we imagine communities working together to survive, community celebrations etc …a simpler time.
I rent an allotment on which a relatively old oak grew. Literally on my patch. One day it was there, the next a pile of sawdust and a stump plus a lot of trampled veg. No notice, no explanation, definitely not a choice I would have made. Kicker being the acorns I saved that are growing and that the stump is still alive and sprouting. I know who did it and why. I'll hopefully be able to gift a sapling to the primary school next door some day soon as a memory.
A wonderful video. I met Sucamore back on 2016,it was one of the best days of my life,and yes,I was devastated upon hearing of its felling. Lost 2 days of work,because I was so devastated. And you make such a perfect point. The thousands of trees that have no celebrity,the trees that are chopped down,in Asia,South America,Africa,and not just those places. Everywhere. It’s not just a third world thing. North America,Siberia,we cut down like a lawnmower is to grass. I appreciate this video very much.
Unfortunately lots of people are ignorant. I worked for a garden project as project manager. We had an orchard planted with mixed fruit trees. The area between the trees was left to encourage native wild flowers which we enriched with wildflower plugs and yellow rattle. We had mown paths through the sward which were really inviting and children loved running along the paths and using push mowers to cut the paths. The meadow supported lots of butterflies, day flying moths, grasshoppers, solitary bees and wasps and bugs of all kinds . Around the perimeter of the orchard we planted hundreds saplings of native trees planted by local schools, and log piles from a neighbours dead sycamore. We created a fairy garden which had lots of timber from the dead tree which was stowed with lots of fungi, lichens and mosses. There were "earth star" fungi which I had never seen before nesting places for birds in the hedges. A clique of volunteers who "helped" in the gardens didn't like all this wild stuff. They preferred the Victorian style of cutting everything down, strimming it all to the edges, cutting all the hedges to stumps and having tubs and hanging baskets of begonias. I had never encountered a culture war in a garden setting before but it seems to creep into everything nowadays. We did have other areas for bowling green stripy lawns, tubs and hanging baskets of begonias as educational elements but that didn't seem to be enough. Sorry for the rant. We had honey bees for fucks sake!!!
I live local to the tree. The weather that night was particularly bad. The rain was coming down sideways. My windows were rattling. I was concerned about my roof. Whoever did this did it so very deliberately in awful conditions. There was real anger in that act against something or someone. It broke my heart.
In no way is this meant as a compliment, but felling such a large tree, in the dark, and the conditions you describe, is impressive. It certainly demonstrates determination. Speculating on why they were so determined is irrelevant, while it is before the courts, but I hope that wilful intent is recognised at sentencing.
If they have so many skills why didn’t they put them to work constructively and build a business caring for trees? It highlights their ignorance, recklessness and disrespect for the community.
Thanks for this commentary. We are not talking enough about saving the few ancient trees/forests that we have left. I love that rewilding has become a popular cause but we can't forget that we still have a some truely old and wild spaces left that need our attention.
You are spot on, this is why I think things like forest schools are so important. A lot of people don’t mourn the loss of temperate rainforest because we have long lost our connection with nature, and I think as a whole humans now have more of a personal connection with money. There’s no money in conservation, not even nearly as much as the development industry - that’s down to the government. The sycamore gap tree caused such a stir not only because it was unexplained, but because it’s famous - so many people have walked by it, taken photos of it, ate their sandwiches under it, developed a personal love for it. All these pockets of temperate rainforest are mythical to a lot of people and get forgotten amongst modern life.
Thank you for the update! didn't know they actually caught two guys for the possible crime. Question though, is how much was the grafting of the tree considered for the tree officially, I'd love to know why the tree was not just simply grafted back to the stump - as in, if there is/was an official explanation as to why the action was not taken?
I can only speak for myself, but as a long-time Woodland trust member, I do very much value trees, and spend as much time as I can in native woods I know well. I also try to promote the preservation of these areas, and without being ovebearing about it, try to encourage people I know to get involved too.
The samething is happening in the east coast and the Midwest of the United States and I wish someone would cover it like this because people don't even know it exists
@@damionkeeling3103 yes all trees over 16 ft around. There are 10,000s of giant "old growth" trees left in east coast and midwest. There is a champion tree program that is set up for state and National champion trees. (Biggest tree of its species) the program is ran by national forestry
I was taking my granddaughter to school, on the way we pass plenty of trees. I love them and in a silly way I thank them in my mind. And hate it when I see people pulling loose bark off. So on the way to school passing the trees as me and my granddaughter are approaching yet another tree I can hear a tune, definitely a tune, I can't explain I've never heard tones like it. I looked around thinking someone had some music on somewhere. I said to my granddaughter listen, can you hear that soft music? I never mentioned where i thought it was coming from.It was very quiet but on approaching it was definitely getting louder. But only loud enough to hear with silence around us. She said yes, I think it's coming from that tree, we both stopped right next to it, I turned my head both ways , it was definitely the tree, my granddaughter stepped forward and put her ear to the tree, she said it was vibrating and heard the tune coming from inside. We continue to walk. As we got to school my granddaughter was excited to tell her friends. I was hoping to hear it again on the way back from dropping my granddaughter at school. But nothing. But every day we pass that tree and I look up at it and say thankyou in my mind. And every day my granddaughter reminds us that the tree sings.
I really don't get why people are spreading more sycamores around the country. Agreed, the tree was iconic, the fact it grew past a metre in this location is remarkable given the grazing pressure it would have been under. Why not plant some local species around it using the Miyawaki method - a small diversity hotspot in what's otherwise a functional desert.
Absolutely. I also mourn the loss of our beautiful urban trees , brought down by councils cost cutting. Adding to the loss of connection between humans and nature, the loss of habits, health benefits and a more pleasant environment to live in.
I think the outrage is less about this particular tree, but more about the pointlessness of that act of vandalism. What is wrong with people (men in particular) that they feel the need to destroy things that don’t belong to them?
Who did it belong to ? The farmer that owns the land was getting blamed at first for doing it because of the amount of footfall going just to visit the tree and really who could say he was wrong ? His land , his tree and his reasons to get rid.
It was an act of environmental vandalism and truly tragic.I am an Australian viewer and we have many problems with trees being felled in sensitive environments.I have a bush garden with large on a suburban block and is home to a wonderful diversity of wildlife.I am so pleased to discover your channel😊
We need to preserve and protect beloved old trees more. I sign every petition I come across to protect ancient woodland and I support the woodland trust. I love trees. I’ve a great white cherry in my garden that I planted as a little girl. It’s almost 100% of the reason I’d never move. I “know” lots of trees that live in places I regularly visit. I’m a total tree hugger. I love these trees, I talk to them, I worried whether they were all okay after Storm Arwen (some weren’t) and I think of them as non-human friends. I never met the Sycamore Gap tree. I’m sorry that some prats did this to anyone’s “friend”. I hope it is still regrowing? There’s a massive sycamore along my driveway that snapped in two during a violent storm about 10years ago. It’s growing back, multi-stemmed, rapaciously! My best friend has recently been laid to rest in a wood. A silver birch is to be planted over him soon❤
I'm very angry that we live in a culture where anybody thought it was a good idea to cut an "iconic" tree down. That actually hurt me. But I also agree that most of the outcry was about the tree's "iconic" status - selfie opportunity, featured in a film, etc. The whole concept of trees as 'celebrities' is a bit weird. It's not the same as wanting to protect the ecosystem at all.
Nothing like spending time in ancient woodland 💚 Really great points about the bigger picutre of the importance of our woodlands and rainforests. A few years ago we used to walk at lot in our local areas, we've been busy with other things more recently and hadn't walked much, sadly 2 areas where we used to walk in beautiful trees have now been partially or fully cleared, which breaks my heart 💔one was definitley for construction the other, not sure ... maybe due to ash die back ... if it is, the devastation that has been caused getting the machinery in seems greater than leaving nature to find its balance again .. which it normally does if we humans don't interfer! Thanks for sharing this ✌🌿
I was very upset when it was cut down, the same kind of feeling I had when I saw Notre Dame on fire. I shed a few tears for both things, things of divine beauty 💞
There are nearly 9 million people in London and only 300,000 in the whole of Northumberland. It's a lot easier to find someone when witnesses might only have seen a half a dozen people in the area that day.
A little sycamore gap info. It received over 300 threats to be torn down over its last 2 years. This is from locals, councils and random individuals. Most were in protest of new housing developments in the area. The area itself used to be heavily wooded, even after Hadrian’s wall was built. The sycamore gap sycamore was/is a final veteran of its landscape
Context is all, isn’t it. So much finger wagging - I’m not defending anyone who cuts down any tree without thought and need. But we don’t know their motivation yet. It was bound to be more complex, wasn’t it? Tourism is a pressure - if you live locally, it must be hard to have bus loads of people coming to take selfies based on a movie which pretended this spot was halfway between the south coast and Nottingham Forest… Tourist income doesn’t benefit everyone who has to deal with the downsides of it. It’s hard to be respectful if you feel disrespected. And it was a pretty desperate thing to do. Poor tree! If only they had thought to guerrilla sow a bunch of other environmentally appropriate saplings which would grow up and block the view - give it company rather than cut it down (or maybe coppice it).
@@EstherV359 The people who did it were more likely motivated by jackass culture. These are the people who cough in a crowded place during a pandemic, snap young trees in half, grafitti, prank by jumping on someone and other anti-social nuisance behaviour. They're surrounded by people as dumb as themselves and think that they'll get famous for giving the fingers to society, a bunch of manboys who don't think of themselves as part of society.
Spot on Rob! Every tree cut down is a violation. If this senseless act of vandalism can motivate people to protect and restore woodland and forest where they live, perhaps some good can come out of it.
Rob, I think you are spot on. The Sycamore Gap Tree had become an anthropomorphic symbol of nature. It's like the Instagram meme we have instead of focusing squarely on nature, woodlands, biodiversity and conservation. The "grief" we felt was anthropomorphic. So too was the action of the two men who felled it. It wasn't that they didn't know better. They did know that the felling would cause outrage from the "twiggy-tweety-birdy-foresty" people. They felled the tree as an intentional transgressive act against nature conservationists. And of course they should be held fully culpable. Cheers Rob.
The sycamore gap tree situation is dumb theres far more trees worth getting up in arms about! First off ITS NOT AN OLD TREE WITH ANY REAL HERITAGE. It is no more important than any other ornamental invasive tree in some randoms garden. All of its publicity is fairly recent and it was most recently made famous by being in a couple movies. The farmers responsible have been farming thier land generationally far longer than that trees age and thier farm was in the process of being handed over by the bank to a mega farm how is that not a better cause than some naff tree that happens to look nice. Isnt it far better to actually protect the important hedgerows and real old native trees that do impact our local ecosystems ,for the better, and the farmers that keep Britain running!!!! Not to mention that dumb tree has had more publicity posthumously than when it was standing there! Its a fantastic example of misplaced blame,rage, information and malice over social medias. As well as being a perfect example of all these people coming out the woodwork as ""environmentalists"" where they dont help the environment they just sound like it and collect praise or worse money from it. Environmentalism has completely been over run by capitolism and now has little to do with helping the planet. ITS GOOD THAT TREE IS GONE, GREAT JOB YOUNG FARMERS THAT DID IT!
Whenever I hear people moaning about moss in their gardens I think of Whitman's Wood! Such a magical place & folk have thought so for a long time. "Wisht" means eerie in the Devon dialect. Loved seeing it in your video. A remnant of the forest that covered the whole moor that was cleared by mesolithic hunter gatherers circa 5000 bce. When you find a group of hut circles on the moor those people lived in the temperate rainforest/ wildwood. It's easy to forget that now the moor is so open. Back in c. 1620, these old... (some of the oldest, many stemmed, distorted & stunted oak trees are 400-500 years old & show the effects of ancient bleak winters up on the high moor.) ...trees were described as "no taller than a man may touch to top with his head". But even Whistman's Wood is getting damaged even though it's untouched. It is the cold & altitude (1,350ft or 410 metres) that checked these oaks keeping them as scrub, hugging the ground, in 1620 no more than 6ft (1.82 metres). As the Industrial Revolution got underway the trees responded to the extra CO₂ & rising temperatures. During the 20th century their height approximately doubled (in 1997 the maximum and average height of trees was around 12 m (39 ft) and 7 m (23 ft) and the multi-stemmed, semi-prostrate oaks are not being replaced. The new oaks are single stemmed, upright trees. Source, memory and Wikipedia.
I live in an urban landscape - Edinburgh Newtown, as it happens. Outside my kitchen window I see two mature lindens. - about 30m, they have been there for some time I see those trees every day. They change . They spell out the story of a year. I'm too old to get into the wild lands now, The urban trees still enthrall. Maybe they can open other eyes.
I collect the flowers including the leaves of the Linden flower. It makes a good tea and is easy to dry and store. The Vikings used to make rope out of the fibres of the bark.
The sycamore tree had a story, a history, and was an icon, I hope they get their full day in court and see justice served What ever your views are on the felling of other trees, this does not excess what they did, I too have trees on my land, and appreciate their beauty . Thank you for posting
@@markwilkie3677 it's not, fu ck that tree. Wasn't famous but for having a scenic spot and being in a couple movies. It's now famous but wasn't before the chop, there is far more important and famous trees in the UK. That was literally no different from any other invasive ornamental in some joes garden.
I love this channel. Most things are doom and gloom climate change global death. This channel is on the ground, feels good, and inspires to do something. So many times i wake to see these videos then plan a trip to the native nursery.
Its early days but we're laying the foundations of something really worthwhile. If you want to support & gain an inside look into the world of nature restoration, join the Curious membership www.patreon.com/c/leavecurious
The sycamore gap tree situation is dumb theres far more trees worth getting up in arms about! First off ITS NOT AN OLD TREE WITH ANY REAL HERITAGE. It is no more important than any other ornamental invasive tree in some randoms garden. All of its publicity is fairly recent and it was most recently made famous by being in a couple movies.
The farmers responsible have been farming thier land generationally far longer than that trees age and thier farm was in the process of being handed over by the bank to a mega farm how is that not a better cause than some naff tree that happens to look nice. Isnt it far better to actually protect the important hedgerows and real old native trees that do impact our local ecosystems ,for the better, and the farmers that keep Britain running!!!!
Not to mention that dumb tree has had more publicity posthumously than when it was standing there!
Its a fantastic example of misplaced blame,rage, information and malice over social medias. As well as being a perfect example of all these people coming out the woodwork as ""environmentalists"" where they dont help the environment they just sound like it and collect praise or worse money from it. Environmentalism has completely been over run by capitolism and now has little to do with helping the planet.
ITS GOOD THAT TREE IS GONE, GREAT JOB YOUNG FARMERS THAT DID IT!
It's not called Britain , we are 4 different countries , be good if he got his facts right .
@@AYE_TV 🇬🇧We were once called Great Britain, now were are called the uk fact! Those of us who originate here consider the ground beneath us Britain because we are British! Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, now called uk was Great Britain😜👍🇬🇧
They both have Christian names big coincidence
If you want to be really pedantic: Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. The British Isles are those three plus Ireland and all the offlying islands. The United Kingdom is a political, and not a geographical concept.
A man of vision planted a tree he would never see in its glory, two men with no vision or care chopped it down. I think it speaks volumes about our lack of vision and care in this country.
They are not MEN, they are MALES. Genetic throwbacks, not human beings.
I very much doubt that this tree was planted by a man of vision.
Probably a self seeded weed seed washed down the hill to the bottom.
Oh I suspect they had vision. A destructive vision. Some people actively wish to make things worse.
Capitalism is the disease, conserving nothing, caring for nothing, neither the past nor the future. Only socialism can give us a society where decisions can be made above and beyond profit ueber alles. As Chico Mendes said, "Ecology without class struggle is just gardening".
@@andybrice2711 yes it wasn't a random bout of axe swinging. I hope we find out eventually what their motivation was. In general sycamore trees in the UK are hideous. But that specific one was special to a lot of people and it was a horrible act to cut it down. Ok it's sprouted at the base, but it's basically been destroyed.
I mourn the loss of trees as well so I decided 18 years ago to plant native trees and it's been 44.000 so far.
Thanks for your insight and great videos
This is the best possible approach.
I've planted hundreds but I do what I can.
@@GSBMxyz how many are still alive, voles, hares, rabbits, grey squirrels, deer, and drought all take their toll. It amazes me how companies greenwash their activities by planting trees when it is keeping them alive that is important.
44 trees is not very many.
@@waltermcphee3787 You have to factor that in.
I'd reckon if 1 in 3 make it to maturity,that's OK.
But 33% of a few is still some,while 33% of nil is still nil.
Yes...some companies,councils,community groups DO plant loads of whips and give no follow up,but that's not got a lot to do with people who plant trees on their own land.
I have a couple maples growing in a pot that stunts their growth, and I can't get them anywhere. Landlord doesn't want trees planted in this yard either.
The Sycamore Gap was a story, the mass felling of other trees are a statistic. People are emotionally affected by stories, not so much by stats.
Well said!!
@@LeaveCurious two sentences, the complete story nailed! The biggest challenge right there. making people care more about nature than their next big purchase, or their new bigger house, or their next trip abroad. I build planes, we live on ruining the place now. sad
I wish people did pay attention to statistics!
Okay, Josef Stalin
This an aspect of human nature. It also applies to human tragedies.
I once worked on a Tree Protection Order team at work, for a few months. It's astonishing how many people hate trees. If you buy a £M house in the woods and want to chop down all the trees around your house, there is something seriously wrong with you. Go and live in a luxury flat on top of a skyscraper, if you hate trees so much.
What I find amazing is the sheer amount of hate in the world. People feel way too strongly about certain things that make no sense. Wheter it trees, cyclists, people that look different... it's insane that people can't just accept they are one of over 8 billion people and, while they have their place, every other one of those 8 billion are also allowed their place in the world and to have their views on n equal footing. With that attitude there is no room for hate, just understanding, openess and curiosity. People that hate really do need some help, they aren't doing well.
Exactly
My neighbours hate that I have a forest garden, they think it 'blocks their light' but the fact is our gardens in the Terrace are North facing, they aint getting much light anyway! Meanwhile they just have gross concrete covering their entire back yard.
Trees can block the sunlight and that's not always a good thing it can stop other plants and trees getting the sunlight they deserve some trees are more selfish than others 👍
The tree outside my house had been neglected for years by the local council and during a period of high wind, the tree came down. It was rotting from the inside as another tree in the road did.
My son and I did the Hadrian’s Walk during Covid and spent an amazing hour there on our own resting during the hike, eating our sandwiches and marvelling and the stunning beauty of the tree and its surroundings.
I actually cried when I read the devastating news of this tree and still feel it today a year on like you lost someone close.
I went to Malta years ago to gozo and got a photo of me next to the arch, it fell down but I didn't care I was just glad I had the photo for the memory, one day I'll be dead and the photo destroyed 👍 until then I can have the memory when I'm dead nothing matters 👍
What happened to the Sycamore Gap Tree is so much more than an act of vandalism against the tree, but was in fact an act of violence against the millions of people who loved its aesthetic as well as its connection to our collective past and its transcendent reflection of time. The punishment of the perpetrators should be commensurate with the scale of this act and should serve as a warning to anyone who would contemplate such evil, whether out of ignorance or truly malicious intent.
Indeed.
It was a display of utmost narcissism.
In Roman Times there would be lashins
They should be done for damage to the wall as a separate act too.
@@Laplata-r9n In Roman times the tree would have been ripped down by the occupiers for it's proximity to the wall.
They shouldn't be hard to find when all is forgotten!
What crushes me is when you look at the stump and see how incredibly healthy the tree was. It would have probably stood for hundreds of years. I can't abide Vandals of any kind. People who decide to destroy or deface something simply because they can are Monsters.
It's so good to learn of other people who are emotionally attached to trees. I've cried at the unnecessary killing of 4 trees in my life, actualy grieved. Some may think me bonkers, but I'm not alone. I plant trees.
how could you not love trees tho, i think most do
I totally agree with you. I cried when l heard the news and lve never even been near the Sycamore gap tree
The beavers I have been doing my PhD research on have cut down thousands of trees in the last three years! XD
@@anonperson3972Hardly the same though is it? Also what they do is good for the environment not a malicious act 🙄
@@Goonerson1969 I'm being facetious. The difference is that they are in a location that is heavily wooded and ecological disturbance to create and maintain habitat heterogeneity. But as far as the ecosystem is concerned, it doesn't make much difference whether it's a beaver or a human, the trees still been cut down ;)
You are so right that we need to restore our woodlands and forests. I am so fortunate to live on the west Coast of Scotland, where we have remnants of stunning temperate rainforest. We are working hard in Kintyre to restore it, to make people aware of what we have. If only more people listened and cared. Every tree is an ecosystem supporting hundreds of other species of plants and animals, losing each one is devastating. Thank you for the brilliant videos you produce that make such a difference.
It breaks my heart when I hear fellow Scots calling the ubiquitous plantations around the country forests.
Glad to hear you and others are putting work in to protect and grow our actual forest.
Thank you for your work restoring Scotland's beuty
More trees in the uk than there have been for centuries / millennia. Our townscapes are significantly greener than at any point in the past. I don’t get the hysteria. Even the beautiful ‘gap’ tree isn’t that old.
@@markgadsby5568 There may be more tress, but at least where I am the majority of those trees are in large monoculture plantations for the timber industry. I'd like us to protect our actual native forest rather than solely prioritise the number of trees. Plantations both arent great for biodiversity and arent particularly nice to spend time in.
@markgadsby5568 because still there are many trees being cut down, sure we are finally fixing the mess but then turn around and cut those same trees because of the dumbest reasons
I did a Sycamore Gap tree video last year because as someone who has filmed Hadrian's Wall [and been a forester] I felt I had something to contribute. The best comment I got summed up the matter neatly:
Green Spirit Arts wrote
It was not just the lone tree itself that was impacted, but the location too that helped generate the feeling of awe, reverence and beauty. The location with the tree in the center of the gap had symmetry, elegance and because it was so approachable, could be photographed and enjoyed in multiple seasons as a thing of beauty. The combination of strength and vulnerability…the idea of endurance all by itself in the elements yet sheltered and embraced by the land itself all worked together to stir strong emotional responses in anyone who viewed images of the tree or who visited the tree in-person. None of the other large and impressive trees mentioned in this video have locations that could match. While the act of felling the tree does indeed appear to be skillfully done, the motive could possibly be tangentially personal; if a marriage that had been started there in an engagement, or performed at the tree itself had now come to a bitter end, the felling of the tree could be a personal act of grievance, for example. I hope we do find out someday why this sad act was committed. One final point, humans worshipping AT the site of special trees is not the same as the worshipping OF a sacred tree. Most often, the tree is a living, symbolic presence for all of Nature in general, though there are exceptions. I’m recalling that the famous Banyan Tree in Lahaina, Maui also suffered a near-fatal event having endured the fire there. And the tree has sprouted new green leaves recently. It is this regenerative quality that trees have that sends a particular message of hope and renewal to humans. The story of this tree is not over.
🙏🙏🤗🤗🙌
@@schmoshmaholuc❤
So, for me, as a Forester, as an Englander, as a man ...
...this story moves me not to anger but to a desire to comprehend the violence...the minds of the perpetrators...I weep at the glacial speed that the truth comes out...I observe the grief and judgement of others
And your comments help me process feelings of love, a love lost out of despair for the great trees of our nation.
"National Trust" was lost in this ... £625k does not cover it..."Why? why? why?" Rings is my head. I hope we all find peace and not retribution, I would give a day, but not a year, for 10 minutes with those charged with the offense because I can find no "explanation" in the video...
What a fabulous video, i live a few miles from the site of this beloved tree, but you are 100% right about trees. We must protect woodland all over the UK, all over the World! Thanks for raising this
I, and many others have been to, touched, hugged and loved that tree. It's destruction was literally sickening. It still is, brings tears to the eyes.
Yeah, but you can fix the wall.
Please seek mental health support urgently it's only one bloody tree
@@kymclinton3140 It was a national icon, not just a tree. And I already do.
So through parents retiring and such me and my partner managed to buy a house this year (in this economy?!) and I doubt I will ever move from this house. The house itself is in disrepair and may need some serious money spent on it, but the garden is larger than most despite being in an old council estate, and just inside the border of the fence is what I can only imagine is at least a 200 year old oak tree (if not older). This tree would need three or four people to hug the perimeter of it, its massive! I'm getting the age from guessing, but I grew up in the town and the school I went to as a kid was Victorian built, there are existing photographs of the school from the 1900's and the oak trees around it which still exist now, the trees were tall back then.. It feels magical to have such an old tree on my own slice of land, and judging from the amount of baby trees I pulled up in spring the darn thing is still very happy.
I'm lucky enough to live in similar situation, 1890s ukschool house with a huge oak and hazel, ash etc but my favourite is my oak, beautiful thing., I'm fortunate to have lovely black fertile soil so the acorns self seed. So wonderful.will only ever leave in a box,
I just can’t comprehend the mind set of someone that would do this. There seems to be such a disconnect between people and nature these days, yet we are part of nature, we can’t exist outside of it… (Fellow arborist here, Merrrist Wood College)… I sometimes feel we don’t deserve this beautiful rich wonderful world we live in 😥
Why is that the story you keep telling yourself?
I feel the same way. I simply _cannot_ understand why anyone would - or how anyone could - do something like this. I tend to not really think too much about all the stuff that's being done to nature on a small and larger scale... I cannot bare to think of it.
But that's also why I watch videos like this, and from Mossy Earth, and other channels. It is the thing that restores some level of hope in me. And I'm also happy that nowadays I can finally financially support the restoration of nature. 💚 We have to do this together
The sycamore gap tree situation is dumb theres far more trees worth getting up in arms about! First off ITS NOT AN OLD TREE WITH ANY REAL HERITAGE. It is no more important than any other ornamental invasive tree in some randoms garden. All of its publicity is fairly recent and it was most recently made famous by being in a couple movies.
The farmers responsible have been farming thier land generationally far longer than that trees age and thier farm was in the process of being handed over by the bank to a mega farm how is that not a better cause than some naff tree that happens to look nice. Isnt it far better to actually protect the important hedgerows and real old native trees that do impact our local ecosystems ,for the better, and the farmers that keep Britain running!!!!
Not to mention that dumb tree has had more publicity posthumously than when it was standing there!
Its a fantastic example of misplaced blame,rage, information and malice over social medias. As well as being a perfect example of all these people coming out the woodwork as ""environmentalists"" where they dont help the environment they just sound like it and collect praise or worse money from it. Environmentalism has completely been over run by capitolism and now has little to do with helping the planet.
ITS GOOD THAT TREE IS GONE, GREAT JOB YOUNG FARMERS THAT DID IT!
probably safe to just assume they had severe mental health issues, and the solution to that is actually providing healthcare and not just pretending that mental illness doesn't exist.
@@tomt637 Farmers have done more that any other group to destroy the natural world.
I live in Plymouth and unfortunately our Council loves chopping down trees against our will....
It is sickening.....
Yes I heard about your trees, absolutely disgusting how ONE decision can affect hundreds maybe thousands of people !!!
👍
Petition them and get them charged for environmental vandalism. Ppl must stand up
For the other tree lovers out there, I just started reading The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben…all about the ways tress communicate, socialise, interact with their environment…amazing read….Wohlleben was a ‘traditional’ forester who (due to observation and deep humanity) changed his attitude to industrial forestry. I think people interested in the work you do at Leave Curious will appreciate it. Thanks for the video, I do love your content and appreciate it.
The Hidden Life of Trees is a life changing book
@ it is, I am delighting in it and telling everyone about the amazing facts. It’s also making me feel a little sad as I see the destruction we have wrought on the environment, before we even know what we are destroying 😢
The felling of this emblem of British heritage is indicative of the way our heritage generally is now under attack. We didn't realise we needed to protect this tree and it was taken from us.
😂
This country consumes more rain forest trees than any other. Your heritage is under attack by you. After you've cut down the Amazon jungle there is nowhere else.
Spot on 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Exactly.
This story is indicative of the whole spectrum attack which the English and English culture are under on a daily basis!
Exactly. You've got children being brought up to hate our country and it's history and we're surprised that they do heinous things like this or go on killing sprees in Southport...
The kind of people that do thinks like this like to cause distress to others. They think upsetting others makes them powerful because they simply lack the capacity to earn any kind of social kudos by constructive means. They are real life examples of online trolls, any attention, even negative attention is better than them being irrelevant.
Fundie Christians most likely. Cromwell's men also pulled down a lot of old trees, because supersititous locals tended to reverence them.
They were paid, question is - who paid them....
@@commanderjameson2708proper Christian's PROPER Christian's would NEVER do anything that spitefull
@@geoffsclassiccarsHistory tells us that Christians are happy and often called by god to persecute anyone who has a different belief .proper Christians are as rare as hens teeth .
There's more to it than some neds just cutting a tree down ,
Dear leave curious and anyone it concerns, I completed a college course in arboriculture and forestry and am hooked on it, next year I'm going to uni to learn about ecology, and I would like you to know it's my goal, my dream to recover these temperate rainforests and save the Highlands of Scotland, reintroduce an apex predator, and beavers and bison
This warms my heart 💚💚💚
Now this is awesome!!
Dave Hope loves you!
As a Californian that only recently studied ecology as a hobby, and bought a study course via the savory Institute; I have also grown passionate about rewilding, and adapting agriculture to honor the timeless cycles and processes that have driven nature across time.
With that knowledge, and the way I think admittedly, I have found that the general ecological range that could work with rewilding and invigorating the Scottish ecosystem is between a grassland, a woodland savanna, and of course, the temperate rainforest, by managing the sheep in a way that emulates the wild herds of once upon a time, which usually includes paddock fences and rotational grazing, and dedicated wildlife corridors for the rewilding, and the possible hopeful return of lynxes and wolves.
The agricultural conservation frontier I hope to pursue here in the states is to help our livestock ranchers gear up with defense tactics to calm the fear of wolves stereotypically eating live stock. Electric fences, warning, flags, favorite guardian, dog breeds, and of course, defensive cattle like Texas Longhorns, and others I imagine are part of the solution.
Growing recently acquainted with my paternal Irish lineage with the last name McCarty; it is my dearest hope that the Irish can reclaim wolves with our crowned name for them that translates to the son of land. I also happen to be as old as the Yellowstone Wolf reintroduction.
My wake up call of course, was the savory Institute, briefly working at a wolf conservation center where I would explain my ideas, and my studies with the Savory Institute so far.
What about squirrels ? And owls?
There is an old oak tree at my childhood school it has been there since before the school was built which is I believe was almost 170 years ago. The first school building was placed near it and then over the many years it has become a very large school, yet the tree remains the same. To no surprise the school is named after the tree and it's more than a tree, it is a symbol. I was looking at some very old pictures and the tree almost looks the same(black and white photos from early on, I think the first building was built). I wonder how old the tree is.
its old but our school has a 400 year old oak (:
It’s a landmark of the north east and Northumberland! Imagine if someone took down the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower so I agree the outcry is entirely justified
Exactly. I didn't love seeing that tree because it was on social media, or because it was in a film. It was a focal point of local walks. There is a small wood next to Crag Lough. That was another focal point on my walks along Hadrian's Wall. I say was, as I've not been back since the loss of the Sycamore. It's still too soon. I used to love visiting for walks and popping into local pubs (the Twice Brewed Inn has both good beer and good food). It was pretty much the only place you could sit for any shade along that stretch if it was a sunny day. The tree was in a picture perfect position and known world wide due to photos and paintings, but it was also a well loved feature of the local landscape that meant enough to people, they chose to share important moments of their life with the tree. Some proposed there, some had their ashes scattered there. It was a unique feature of the landscape, in the same way an interesting looking rock formation is. Things like that stand out to people and come to mean something. Sometimes people just have an emotional attachment to a specific tree. My town is full of trees, if any are felled, I feel it, but there's one particular tree in town, that if anything ever happens to it, will hit me harder. For some reason that tree is extra special to me. I love the sound the leaves make in the wind, I love the shape of it, I love many things about that tree. People walk by it every day and probably don't give it a second glance, but to me it is special. For a lot of people the Sycamore Gap tree was special, not because it was a famous tree, but because it had special importance for them. Things can have a special significance for many reasons. Some it was purely because it was photogenic, but even then, if it gets people outdoors and connecting with nature, that's not a bad thing. Even if they only want to see it because it's a landmark like the Eiffel tower, they're still out in that natural environment and it can be pretty wild up there. Feeling the elements out in nature makes people feel more connected to the natural environment and therefore care more about it.
I also care about woodlands and losses of them, both current and historic. When I visited Slovenia, it struck me that aside from how mountainous it is, it's probably similar to how a lot of the UK would have been as there are trees everywhere you look and the mix of them seemed very similar to our native species.
I've done a fair amount of conservation work and plan to continue with that, so both care about the bigger picture and am proactive about trying to improve things, but I also had an emotional attachment to this one tree. It's possible to be in both camps.
I also think that the other reason people were so upset is because of how and why the tree was lost. It wasn't for so called "development", where even if you don't personally agree with them removing trees for it, rather than just building elsewhere, there's at least some sort of logic. This was revenge and vandalism. There are so many things they could have chosen to do to take revenge against NT, but they chose to potentially (thankfully it's regrowing) kill a living thing that meant a lot to so many people and would forever change the local landscape. Had it been diseased, a threat to local species etc. and had to be taken down because of that, people would still have been heartbroken, but there would be a valid reason for it. People would still have been heartbroken, but not as angry as even if it wasn't what they wanted, there would be a valid, logical reason for it. Vandalism is not a valid or logical reason. Taking anger out on a living thing, loved by many, because you're angry at an organisation is what annoyed so many. It lacked thought and respect for others and for the tree, a living thing. That's why so many people were angry about it. The fact it was a famous tree means people all over the world were angry, but had it not been, a lot of people from the North East would have still felt the same way.
I don't understand why some people hate trees so much. When new ones are planted, dodgy youths often snap them. I imagine many people have witnessed the aftermath of this and felt anger at the mindless vandalism and felt bad for the poor tree and disappointed for the people who had gone to the effort of planting the tree to help improve the local area. It upsets and angers a lot of people. I think this to many felt like a scaled up version of that mindless vandalism. Rather than idiots, for whatever reason randomly deciding to get a kick out of killing a tree that they've just walked by, this was premeditated. I remember at the time one of the thoughts in my head was "why do some people hate trees so much?" While I and many see them as living things, some clearly see them as just a thing, that has no worth and means nothing.
Are you Novocastrian or Zoarastrian?
No I Am Church Of Ingerland.
Sword of Damocles.
Hangs Swinging
Repentance. is a short sentence.
Compared to 'Precipice' forever falling into the bottomless abyss. Lost In Space Time Continuum
With your heart conscience sometimes known as super ego, with no one listening but
Y o u r s e l f
Gandalf.
My local council are always banging on about the importance of trees for the environment and their positive effect on mental health. And then they cut down almost every tree in our local park, and along the local roads.
That's because they are getting ready for 5G and further 6G and so on
Probably had Ash dieback or some similar disease and they were protecting other local trees by doing so?
The government “We are going green!”
Also government “We are going to build 1.5 million new homes”
Might be because they interfere with 5G transmission
The council benefits from having lower maintenance costs the more trees they get rid of plus wood is very expensive at the moment so they can also make money from that as well.
We all have our trees! The Sycamore Gap tree was one of mine. As a ten-year-old, I walked Hadrian's wall, and it was at this place, that I first noticed an issue walking and had to rest. On our school trip, we got lost on our return to our Coach, and my injury worsened. I had developed Osteomyelitis, which had life-long health issues. I live in Sheffield which is one of the greenest cities in Europe. Trees can be placeholders for our lives. Thank you for this video which reminded me of this!
Watching that little sprout and fresh leaves coming back brought tears to my eyes. That seems to be the only thing which could really comfort me after such a horrendous act has been done. I'm glad you also showed a small clip of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves... this has been one of my favourite films for my entire life & I've always loved the scene with the tree. 🌳
There was another Robin Hood film made that year starring Patrick Bergin. It's worth a watch too.
“Missing the forest for the trees” Spot on mate!
The UK is one of the most deforested countries in the world, and we love talking about preserving the “natural” landscape in its degraded state rather than regrowing and focusing our attention on global deforestation.
Go to N Ireland and u will see the most deforested part of uk
On the day it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had passed I was out walking past a magnificent Oak Tree and my eye caught sight of one of its acorns. Huge and massive. I picked it up, pocketed it and planted it in a pot on my window sill. Its now 2 foot tall with 8 leaves at the top..... but one day it will be on public view and as tall and as strong as its parent, and I myself will never see that..... as I will be gone by then.... but I love that thought of the gift. It will be known as the Queen Elizabeth Oak and I'm looking for that very special spot.
That is so wonderful. Thank you for that.
A Sycamore tree. A rescue squirrel.
We really need to come together.
These stories hurt.
Poor P Nut 😢
And Freddie the Raccoon 🦝
🐿😢unforgivable.
@@andrewwarcup684⚘💜
This is exactly how I feel!! It's great to hear people loving green spaces. More and more people I connect with are all expressing dismay at what's happening to the natural world. Hopefully we are at a crossroads where thanks are going to start getting better for nature! Keep on making these videos. They are amazing!
Great video!
I think there is a weird attraction for some people to destroy something that is beautiful, valuable or just so blatantly "here for the taking". Somehow the dark side of "Because it's there", so easily available, so visible, there is an urge, a desire to destroy it.
I love that you question our constant impulse to react emotionally to things, widely influenced by social media that thrives on quick and easy surges of anger. Yes, this is a sad thing, and as a horticulture and arboriculture student, and as a sensitive human being, I know the value of these old trees, even beyond the monetary aspect. But as you said, the main problem here is much more the heavy degradation of the landscape than the death of one single tree, as sad as it is, as beautiful as it was.
I'm Canadian, and we are way more famous for cutting forests down than caring for them (before anyone asks, yes, there is a lumberjack in my family!). But look at the flag of Canada: it's central feature is a maple leaf, that's how much we love trees! My observation is that they don't get due respect in Britain and totally agree that trees need to be much more a part of the culture, and I say that as someone who has lived in Britain nearly 50 years now. Talk about them more, celebrate them from childhood onwards, learn about trees and forests as part of the landscape as well as integral to our folklore, literature, poetry. It shouldn't have taken a devastating episode like Sycamore Gap to make trees part of the national conversation, but now that it has, keep the momentum going.
British people love the countryside and the woods left though not vast are cherished. However, the British people have no say if money exchanges hands and various developments are deemed necessary. With the recent vast influx of new residents I doubt things will improve.
So well said 👏
The crapping on your own front step seems to be an increasing cultural norm for a large part of the English
@@juliebrady8583 totally agree. If they stopped all these people coming in and sent some back they wouldn't need to keep digging the countryside up!!
@@allbushnocraft3031 they are probably not English
This is probably the best video you have ever made, Rob. I wonder if possibly the two men cut down this tree to make the very point you have: we care deeply about individual trees, while happily turning a blind eye to the mass destruction of trees at home and elsewhere. Yes, the death of an old, 'iconic', deliberately-planted, naturalised species is very sad, but nothing compared with the deliberate, systematic and continuing razing of ancient native forests all over the world. How many people give money to save an area of woodland from developers? How many people give money to organisations like Trees for Life? Indeed, how many people, shocked and horrified by the apparently mindless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, responded by making a donation to an environmental organisation, or even to the National Trust, who were stewards of the tree? How many people, disgusted at this event, have themselves thoughtlessly cut down a tree, justifying that it 'belonged to them'? It would be a great thing if your video were seen by many more people, to start some discussions about our relationship to Nature and both our sense of ownership and our belief that we have a right to do what we want with living things.
One of the most horrifying aspects of humanity is our insane ability to destroy. Two people with a chainsaw; six people with guns; a dozen people with high explosive: 150 years of life can be wiped out in under a minute, anywhere at any time.
1) If you want to safe trees, it would be astoundingly stupid to cut down an tree as a statement. That is like murdering somebody to fight againt violence.
2) Yes, people cut down trees, if they for example damange or endanger a house or if they need the wood. That is NOT the same as cutting a tree as a pure act of vandalism, especially not if that tree is obviously an especially beautiful and rare example.
This is such an important and beautifully spoken message. I love trees too, and the beauty and power of these unspoiled forests tugs at my heart. Temperate rainforests are so important to the life of our planet. Our counterpart here in the US is the forests of the Pacific northwest. Leave Curious, thank you for everything you're doing to teach and raise awareness. 💚🌿
Someone or some people chopped down more than 200 young trees in parks in Melbourne Australia last weekend. Estimated to be about $200,000 to replace them. Why do people do these things? Heartbreaking for the wonderful people who grew and planted these trees and for the local communities who were enjoying watching the trees grow.
The dismantling of society is the most significant factor for these types of destructive activities. When a society is transformed into a society of enemies, in order to promote economic growth, the natural world will be obliterated.
Possibly their views were going to be obstructed when the trees grew, people cut down trees on public land all the time to improve their view, the selfish barstards.
WHY is the authorities doing this ????
It's not the authorities cutting down the trees, they're the ones that planted them!
It's the public, possibly their views were going to be obstructed when the trees grew.
People cut down trees on public land all the time to improve their view.
I started a nature restoration effort, and this is the way to be, it builds you own life full of love to see and work with plants, thanks for the video.
I agree completely. The sycamore gap tree was famous and loved because of a film and social media. But it was a sycamore, non native, common and invasive in ancient woodland. There are so many beautiful trees, not so instagram worthy maybe, but fragile and vulnerable. And so few woods and forests that need to be conserved and restored. I live in South Wales, and area that should be covered in temperate rainforest, but there are only tiny fragments left.
Yes, I forgot to mention that sending 49 saplings around the country probably isn't the best idea.
Although not native, it was not displacing any native trees. There was plenty of open space for other trees to grow if they would have been allowed.
Ever been to Cardiff Gate services on the M4? Not the place you'd think of for a relict of ancient woodland, but there is an old boundary bank there with old field maple coppice stools and a large small leaved lime coppice stool. Here's a link to a short vid in case you want to know more. ruclips.net/video/LDS-M9mnJzI/видео.html
We are slowly waking up. My dream is to restore a forest myself. We'll get there :)
@@anemone104 Yes, I have been to Cardiff Gate services, and like 99% of the other people who stop there didn`t see the ancient woodland trees. Thanks for showing me. I will look out next time I stop there. It`s an example of the tiny fragments of ancient woodland that are all that are left. The whole of the west side of Wales is in temperate rainforest zone but it doesn`t get chance to grow.
Reminds me of the 100+ year old Oak tree which stood in the garden of our old house. It was huge. Incredibly symmetric, beautiful, round canopy. Provided us and neighbour a lot of shade in the summer and you could hear all the buzzing of insects in it. The ground around the 1,2m thick base of it served as a racetrack for our 2 doggies.
New owners just cut it down, without permits. I haven't got to know them, but I for sure hate them now.
This is why I don't like videos about very specific trees noted for their beauty, age or having some historical connection.
It brings attention to them, and they become targets for morons with chainsaws who love an easy victim.
It matters nothing about whether they are native or not, nothing about their age. It matters nothing whether they are still alive.
I live within yards of one of the most beautiful Oak trees I have ever seen. It is absolutely charming, almost magical in appearance, and deserving of the title 'Ent.'.
But, I will never be the one to bring attention to it, never mention it outside of the neighbourhood. I don't want it to fall prey to men like these who will cut it down - For a laugh.
I don't know what goes on in boys/men's minds to do this kind of thing (I've never seen a female vandalising trees). Is it jealousy because the tree gets more attention than they do?
Is it a show of power over something that has more fame, more adoration than they do?
Is a tree an outlet for frustrated bullies?
Is it to gain notoriety, to get one of their actions noted by the media? To have a dirty little secret that they can use to shock or show off to a select few, or the public? A case of desperation for their 15 minutes of fame? Because they've got exactly that...
They're the Sycamore Gap guys now...although, in my opinion, the most significant Gap is the one between their ears.
Your channel is so great mate.
I just know every video you make is something i will enjoy.
And even then helps me plan trips around the uk to see the places you talk about
I went to that ancient oak grove in exmoor this summer and had an amazing meditation there
I believe the answer to many of your questions regarding why many people don't care is: selfishness. To many people, if they are not directly affected / threatened, they will just shrug their shoulders and wonder what all the fuss is about. Keep up the good work
I think that's overly cynical and doesn't look at the context that people are in. In a world where the majority of people is just scraping by, you get bombarded by disastrous news each hour of every day, it's no wonder that people get desensitized to it all. And yes, when there's so much other stuff going on in your direct life, stuff that is further removed from you takes the back seat.
Don't get me wrong, I think we need to completely reprioritize and restructure our lives, but that goes further than highlighting what's important.
This was not meant as a personal attack, I hope you have a good day
@@binaryteddybear8741 Your points are valid in your experience, as are mine. And I didn't take it as a personal attack
That tree was picturesque and an individual, perfect for pictures and anthropomorphizing. Show people a ramshackle hedge of scrubby alder and willow in a ditch and they don't care if it's bulldozed. It's tough.
The reasons why this tree was important are many. I think one of the most important was that people feel that a single tree is a sign of hope for something that it's possible to protect where we feel helpless in the face of the obscenity of clear felling trees.
I say this as someone who's been involved in woodland management all my life, as has my family.
I KNOW it was a sycamore with all of those negative connotations and basically a lonely orphan but it was a symbol of what a tree IS to many people who don't know the history of woodlands
I have ornamental cherry and sycamore trees in my front garden. Earlier this year the local council decided to pollard one of the sycamores, the tree was left as a skeleton. It looks absolutely awful, but there are signs of life and regrowth and I hope that next year I’ll get to see it flourish again. Sadly they felled 2 of the cherry trees, against my wishes, and gave the remaining 2 a brutal trim. One looks to be dying now and the other looks awful. Since this was done we’ve had flooding that we never had before as those trees sucked up that water.
how on earth it can be legal to do these kinds of things will never make sense to me... cutting down someone else's tree, for no good reason (trees won't be a danger to fall on anyone unless they carry disease or are rotten/dying, or in extremely hard wind)
The issue is largely true for any problem or issue we got. You can compare coverage of certain conflicts vs coverage of other conflicts. You can talk about oil spills vs everyday pollution. You can talk about certain murders vs the many many that go unreported. Or more mundane things, like the preservation of one historic building and not caring about another, or remembering certain people and not others, and so on and so forth.
You always get to that "but why is THIS one getting so much more attention?!" point. It can be frustrating, though to me, it's also interesting to think about - a glimpse into how people and society work, I think. And I do think you are absolutely right; there's no point just getting annoyed or discouraged by it, that's the reality we got to work with, and if we do want to get people to change how they think, we must understand and make use of how it does work in reality instead of hoping it'll just magically be different.
Thank you for putting this into words. I too morn the lost forests and naked moors of this isle.
We had a huge Liandi in our garden that was very close to our house and the neighbours and was extremely scary during stormy weather. At the request of our neighbour we agreed to have it taken down. One day I came home from work and it was gone… I was so sad I cried!!
I've just discovered your channel and subscribed. Really interesting and thoughtful discussion. Thank you. I'm Welsh but in Sardinia at the moment. A place I know well and love. The island has a tumultuous history. The entire huge central plain was an ancient forest - taken centuries ago for agriculture and to build ships. What's left is in the mountains and most elsewhere has been developed as cork oaks, although that is a sustainable use. We do need to preserve what's there and renew sustainable woodlands. Here forestry has actually increased in the last 50 years. Now threatened again by the increased risk of wild fires caused by climate change. Thank you again for opening up these issues. Ps I know the sycamore gap well.
Thank you for passing along your thoughtful insight of our collective need to see "the forest for the tree."
I don't know if anyone else is doing this sort of thing as an individual but I collect acorns and conkers, pot them up and try to bring them on. At two/ three years old I either give them to people who want to plant one to commemorate some part of their lives or I plant them in a safe place to let them hopefully grow and mature.
Every little helps, perhaps.
Thank you for sharing.
This might be one of your best videos yet
Thanks for a fantastic video and so true about the loss of trees, I could listen to you all day ❤❤❤❤❤
Some people mourn the loss of historical forests. I do and I have never been to Britain! My grandmother and mother were born there so I grew up hearing stories from their youth I was born in Canada, in British Columbia. I've spent my whole life keenly aware that where I live could end up looking like the British isles if we don't stop logging everything. I've walked old growth forests and then seen them clear cut in the following years. On Vancouver Island, we are in a battle to save the last of our old growth. Our government says they will ban logging of old growth, but have been stalling for years. I guess you have to grow up with trees to know them as essential to life.
I don't know about Britain as a whole, but in Watford you have to get permission to cut down ANY tree even on your own property, as my father found out and he was refused. near us is a small step hill called Cherry Dale Hill, and a large piece of land at the bottom became available. A developer brought the land to build an apartment block. The plans were passed but the plans didn't show a line of trees. An inspector went to check on the progress of the foundations and saw the trees were in the way of the planned foundations. When he questioned the builder they said they were going to cut them down and remove them. The town inspector immediately stopped the construction and permissio0n to remove the trees was refused and the builders had to submit new plans with the trees intact and the builders had to build around the trees, which actually greatly enhancing the finished project, and the trees were saved. I think this by-law should be adopted nationally, if it hasn't already been done.
I cut down a sycamore a couple of years ago and it is a real effort and a chore to continuously remove the epicormic growth from the stump re sprouting. That tree will not die as a result of being cut. If anything it will rejuvenate it.
It will rejuvenate it, but from an ecological standpoint an old three is worth like a hundred young ones.
I knew about this one tree because I have walked along that part of the wall back in the 70’s we stopped off at that part as there is a walk in one of the many documented walks of British historical walks. My Parents and I have done many of these walks when we lived in the UK. The Sycamore Gap was placed on the world map after Kevin Costner movie “Robin Hood-Prince of Thieves” which was released in 1991 the opening scene was of the Gap so anyone who had been there in person watching that movie would have remembered when they too walked along Hadron’s wall next to the tree. This part of Hadron’s wall is so well known, it’s the most picturesque scene in that part of the country. The views from the tops of both hills in all directions is breathtaking as too was the view walking towards the gap with this one mysterious majestic tree just standing there alone. Looking out from that one spot is stunning, the history that is bound up within the wall running alongside that one lonely tree.
The stories that one tree could talk about, what it has been witnessed too throughout its short life to that point.
Now it is embarked on a new era to its story, the story of surviving an act of total vandalism the new tentative growth from that once might magnificent tree. I’m so glad to hear that the trunk of the tree has been placed in a safe environment so that it can season so that one day a trusted artist can one day create the perfect piece from the trunk. It’s great that they managed to cultivate so many seedlings from that one tree so that they can grow and stand in testimony of the tree they were harvested from.
My one and only question is “why” if it was for fame, then may their names be forever forgotten to history.
How can that be achieved, Simple create a beautiful memorial brass plate to stand next to the site of the old tree have their names stamped on it and then take a new stamp X and stamp it over each letter of their name until it has been erased from the brass plate. Once done place the brass plate there at the sight of the “Lone Sycamore tree” for all to see, but never see their names as they have been erased from history.
I hope their families shun them for the shameful act of vandalism.
This is so real I hate the fact that some singular trees have become just monoliths rather than be part of a reforestation project tbh. Recently scored an overwintering job with my friend at an estate with a massive emphasis on rewilding and habitat restoration as well as laying hedges and bringing coppice back into rotation etc. N can't wait.
There maybe no better place to go to where finding your inner peace is found than a natural forest. The connection is pure beauty.
When I was a kid I was a big fan of the American TV series Highlander (stay with me here this is actually relevant lol). The main character was a Scottish immortal who had lived for hundreds of years and whenever the series went into a sentimental direction they played this old Scottish song that I really really loved. A couple decades later and I watch the series again, and again that song really touched me. As you do these days I looked up the song and found out it's originally an Irish folk song called Bonny Portmore. In 1760 the Great Oak of Portmore fell in a windstorm some 100 years after the ancient forest around it was cut down to make room for a castle--which eventually was torn down anyway. The song beautifully and mournfully laments the loss of the great tree.
This video reminded me of that. It's kind of a similar situation.
I’m embarrassed to say that I’d never heard of the Sycamore Gap Tree, I may possibly have seen photos in the past but didn’t connect it however when I saw it on the news and saw it in all its beautiful glory I shed a few tears, what a senseless act of something irreplaceable. You’re so right about the state of nature in Britain.
For a lot of folk it held special meaning. I know it did for my wife and I.
I live in Liverpool and we are so lucky to have thousands of trees. Streets and avenues are line with beautiful specimens. We have a number of parks which also have gorgeous varieties and I often think of what the city would look like without them. We are so lucky.
I cried when they cut that down 😢😢
He is bang on about trees , we have to do more planting more trees all over the country. Retired lifeboatman
Good video.
One thing that demonstrated to me the ridiculousness of our society is that the BBC reported that the first sapling was presented to Charles Windsor. The destruction of our forests has been done to make the privileged and powerful even richer. Yet we continue to shore up their privilege, power and wealth.
I'd love to see widespread community woodlands and forests, for all people.
King Charles has always been for nature. He is very responsible nature wise.
@@margaretmetcalfe9380 he is a hunter and meat eater, owns vast swathes of land and travels everywhere in a vehicle of some description or other. Yes you could argue it's what his role demands, but he could change and set an example, or abdicate and go live a simple life. Talk comes cheap, it's actions that really count.
@@pamelacole2756 then one more could have gone to a community project rather than supporting privilege.
@@margaretmetcalfe9380the Royal,family own millions of acres of the UK and use it to increase their wealth. They like nature and want it protected right up until it costs them a penny then they want others to contribute and support. William wants you to contribute to cancer charities whilst he rents buildings to them making a fortune.
Yes he should definitely start travelling by horseback and eat more grass. That'll save us. @@jennyfernandez895
They cut it down as another blow to destroying our British culture and people reacted this way because deep down they know it was another big blow, even tho it was just one tree and it was only 150 years old.. it takes us back in our imaginations to a time when Britain was a beautiful land, the population was a quarter of what it is now, we imagine communities working together to survive, community celebrations etc …a simpler time.
10/10 need more of this.
I rent an allotment on which a relatively old oak grew. Literally on my patch. One day it was there, the next a pile of sawdust and a stump plus a lot of trampled veg. No notice, no explanation, definitely not a choice I would have made. Kicker being the acorns I saved that are growing and that the stump is still alive and sprouting. I know who did it and why. I'll hopefully be able to gift a sapling to the primary school next door some day soon as a memory.
A wonderful video.
I met Sucamore back on 2016,it was one of the best days of my life,and yes,I was devastated upon hearing of its felling.
Lost 2 days of work,because I was so devastated.
And you make such a perfect point.
The thousands of trees that have no celebrity,the trees that are chopped down,in Asia,South America,Africa,and not just those places.
Everywhere.
It’s not just a third world thing.
North America,Siberia,we cut down like a lawnmower is to grass.
I appreciate this video very much.
Unfortunately lots of people are ignorant. I worked for a garden project as project manager. We had an orchard planted with mixed fruit trees. The area between the trees was left to encourage native wild flowers which we enriched with wildflower plugs and yellow rattle. We had mown paths through the sward which were really inviting and children loved running along the paths and using push mowers to cut the paths. The meadow supported lots of butterflies, day flying moths, grasshoppers, solitary bees and wasps and bugs of all kinds . Around the perimeter of the orchard we planted hundreds saplings of native trees planted by local schools, and log piles from a neighbours dead sycamore. We created a fairy garden which had lots of timber from the dead tree which was stowed with lots of fungi, lichens and mosses. There were "earth star" fungi which I had never seen before nesting places for birds in the hedges. A clique of volunteers who "helped" in the gardens didn't like all this wild stuff. They preferred the Victorian style of cutting everything down, strimming it all to the edges, cutting all the hedges to stumps and having tubs and hanging baskets of begonias. I had never encountered a culture war in a garden setting before but it seems to creep into everything nowadays. We did have other areas for bowling green stripy lawns, tubs and hanging baskets of begonias as educational elements but that didn't seem to be enough. Sorry for the rant. We had honey bees for fucks sake!!!
I live local to the tree. The weather that night was particularly bad. The rain was coming down sideways. My windows were rattling. I was concerned about my roof. Whoever did this did it so very deliberately in awful conditions. There was real anger in that act against something or someone. It broke my heart.
In no way is this meant as a compliment, but felling such a large tree, in the dark, and the conditions you describe, is impressive. It certainly demonstrates determination. Speculating on why they were so determined is irrelevant, while it is before the courts, but I hope that wilful intent is recognised at sentencing.
If they have so many skills why didn’t they put them to work constructively and build a business caring for trees? It highlights their ignorance, recklessness and disrespect for the community.
Thanks for this commentary. We are not talking enough about saving the few ancient trees/forests that we have left. I love that rewilding has become a popular cause but we can't forget that we still have a some truely old and wild spaces left that need our attention.
Thank you, Rob
You are spot on, this is why I think things like forest schools are so important. A lot of people don’t mourn the loss of temperate rainforest because we have long lost our connection with nature, and I think as a whole humans now have more of a personal connection with money. There’s no money in conservation, not even nearly as much as the development industry - that’s down to the government.
The sycamore gap tree caused such a stir not only because it was unexplained, but because it’s famous - so many people have walked by it, taken photos of it, ate their sandwiches under it, developed a personal love for it. All these pockets of temperate rainforest are mythical to a lot of people and get forgotten amongst modern life.
Thank you for the update! didn't know they actually caught two guys for the possible crime.
Question though, is how much was the grafting of the tree considered for the tree officially, I'd love to know why the tree was not just simply grafted back to the stump - as in, if there is/was an official explanation as to why the action was not taken?
I can only speak for myself, but as a long-time Woodland trust member, I do very much value trees, and spend as much time as I can in native woods I know well. I also try to promote the preservation of these areas, and without being ovebearing about it, try to encourage people I know to get involved too.
The samething is happening in the east coast and the Midwest of the United States and I wish someone would cover it like this because people don't even know it exists
What do you mean? Can you clarify? I'm an East Coast US person, so this interests me
@@greywolf845 big trees ohio is a group that documents a lot of trees like that. Also NY has Big tree seeker
@@indigo1615 These are groups that promote awareness of notable trees I assume?
@@damionkeeling3103 yes all trees over 16 ft around. There are 10,000s of giant "old growth" trees left in east coast and midwest.
There is a champion tree program that is set up for state and National champion trees. (Biggest tree of its species) the program is ran by national forestry
@@damionkeeling3103 look up champion tree program
I was taking my granddaughter to school, on the way we pass plenty of trees. I love them and in a silly way I thank them in my mind. And hate it when I see people pulling loose bark off. So on the way to school passing the trees as me and my granddaughter are approaching yet another tree I can hear a tune, definitely a tune, I can't explain I've never heard tones like it. I looked around thinking someone had some music on somewhere. I said to my granddaughter listen, can you hear that soft music? I never mentioned where i thought it was coming from.It was very quiet but on approaching it was definitely getting louder. But only loud enough to hear with silence around us. She said yes, I think it's coming from that tree, we both stopped right next to it, I turned my head both ways , it was definitely the tree, my granddaughter stepped forward and put her ear to the tree, she said it was vibrating and heard the tune coming from inside. We continue to walk. As we got to school my granddaughter was excited to tell her friends. I was hoping to hear it again on the way back from dropping my granddaughter at school. But nothing. But every day we pass that tree and I look up at it and say thankyou in my mind. And every day my granddaughter reminds us that the tree sings.
I really don't get why people are spreading more sycamores around the country. Agreed, the tree was iconic, the fact it grew past a metre in this location is remarkable given the grazing pressure it would have been under. Why not plant some local species around it using the Miyawaki method - a small diversity hotspot in what's otherwise a functional desert.
or get rid of the f'ng sheep
Absolutely. I also mourn the loss of our beautiful urban trees , brought down by councils cost cutting. Adding to the loss of connection between humans and nature, the loss of habits, health benefits and a more pleasant environment to live in.
I think the outrage is less about this particular tree, but more about the pointlessness of that act of vandalism. What is wrong with people (men in particular) that they feel the need to destroy things that don’t belong to them?
Who did it belong to ? The farmer that owns the land was getting blamed at first for doing it because of the amount of footfall going just to visit the tree and really who could say he was wrong ? His land , his tree and his reasons to get rid.
It was an act of environmental vandalism and truly tragic.I am an Australian viewer and we have many problems with trees being felled in sensitive environments.I have a bush garden with large on a suburban block and is home to a wonderful diversity of wildlife.I am so pleased to discover your channel😊
You're absolutely right, Rob. Well done.
We need to preserve and protect beloved old trees more. I sign every petition I come across to protect ancient woodland and I support the woodland trust. I love trees. I’ve a great white cherry in my garden that I planted as a little girl. It’s almost 100% of the reason I’d never move. I “know” lots of trees that live in places I regularly visit. I’m a total tree hugger. I love these trees, I talk to them, I worried whether they were all okay after Storm Arwen (some weren’t) and I think of them as non-human friends.
I never met the Sycamore Gap tree. I’m sorry that some prats did this to anyone’s “friend”. I hope it is still regrowing?
There’s a massive sycamore along my driveway that snapped in two during a violent storm about 10years ago. It’s growing back, multi-stemmed, rapaciously!
My best friend has recently been laid to rest in a wood. A silver birch is to be planted over him soon❤
I'm very angry that we live in a culture where anybody thought it was a good idea to cut an "iconic" tree down. That actually hurt me. But I also agree that most of the outcry was about the tree's "iconic" status - selfie opportunity, featured in a film, etc. The whole concept of trees as 'celebrities' is a bit weird. It's not the same as wanting to protect the ecosystem at all.
Nothing like spending time in ancient woodland 💚 Really great points about the bigger picutre of the importance of our woodlands and rainforests. A few years ago we used to walk at lot in our local areas, we've been busy with other things more recently and hadn't walked much, sadly 2 areas where we used to walk in beautiful trees have now been partially or fully cleared, which breaks my heart 💔one was definitley for construction the other, not sure ... maybe due to ash die back ... if it is, the devastation that has been caused getting the machinery in seems greater than leaving nature to find its balance again .. which it normally does if we humans don't interfer! Thanks for sharing this ✌🌿
thankyou , who did it and why
I don't know if we'll ever know why - two men have been charged and are facing trial - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-68931202
I was very upset when it was cut down, the same kind of feeling I had when I saw Notre Dame on fire. I shed a few tears for both things, things of divine beauty 💞
They couldn't find acid attack Abdul in the middle of London but they found the people who cut down a tree in the middle of nowhere within 24 hours.
There are nearly 9 million people in London and only 300,000 in the whole of Northumberland. It's a lot easier to find someone when witnesses might only have seen a half a dozen people in the area that day.
It's generally hard to find a suspect when they commit suicide immediately after committing their crime.
This is the first time I have heard about this tree, and it truly saddens me. It was a work of art as much as anything.
Where do you live?
A little sycamore gap info.
It received over 300 threats to be torn down over its last 2 years. This is from locals, councils and random individuals. Most were in protest of new housing developments in the area. The area itself used to be heavily wooded, even after Hadrian’s wall was built. The sycamore gap sycamore was/is a final veteran of its landscape
Context is all, isn’t it. So much finger wagging - I’m not defending anyone who cuts down any tree without thought and need. But we don’t know their motivation yet. It was bound to be more complex, wasn’t it?
Tourism is a pressure - if you live locally, it must be hard to have bus loads of people coming to take selfies based on a movie which pretended this spot was halfway between the south coast and Nottingham Forest… Tourist income doesn’t benefit everyone who has to deal with the downsides of it. It’s hard to be respectful if you feel disrespected. And it was a pretty desperate thing to do.
Poor tree! If only they had thought to guerrilla sow a bunch of other environmentally appropriate saplings which would grow up and block the view - give it company rather than cut it down (or maybe coppice it).
@@EstherV359 The people who did it were more likely motivated by jackass culture. These are the people who cough in a crowded place during a pandemic, snap young trees in half, grafitti, prank by jumping on someone and other anti-social nuisance behaviour. They're surrounded by people as dumb as themselves and think that they'll get famous for giving the fingers to society, a bunch of manboys who don't think of themselves as part of society.
Thank God the tree has shown signs of growth.
What a marvellous message of hope in the face of mindless vandalism.
Spot on Rob! Every tree cut down is a violation. If this senseless act of vandalism can motivate people to protect and restore woodland and forest where they live, perhaps some good can come out of it.
Rob, I think you are spot on. The Sycamore Gap Tree had become an anthropomorphic symbol of nature. It's like the Instagram meme we have instead of focusing squarely on nature, woodlands, biodiversity and conservation. The "grief" we felt was anthropomorphic. So too was the action of the two men who felled it. It wasn't that they didn't know better. They did know that the felling would cause outrage from the "twiggy-tweety-birdy-foresty" people. They felled the tree as an intentional transgressive act against nature conservationists. And of course they should be held fully culpable. Cheers Rob.
This is an act of cowards. They should be locked up.
No they shouldn't, that tree should have been hacked down years ago
The sycamore gap tree situation is dumb theres far more trees worth getting up in arms about! First off ITS NOT AN OLD TREE WITH ANY REAL HERITAGE. It is no more important than any other ornamental invasive tree in some randoms garden. All of its publicity is fairly recent and it was most recently made famous by being in a couple movies.
The farmers responsible have been farming thier land generationally far longer than that trees age and thier farm was in the process of being handed over by the bank to a mega farm how is that not a better cause than some naff tree that happens to look nice. Isnt it far better to actually protect the important hedgerows and real old native trees that do impact our local ecosystems ,for the better, and the farmers that keep Britain running!!!!
Not to mention that dumb tree has had more publicity posthumously than when it was standing there!
Its a fantastic example of misplaced blame,rage, information and malice over social medias. As well as being a perfect example of all these people coming out the woodwork as ""environmentalists"" where they dont help the environment they just sound like it and collect praise or worse money from it. Environmentalism has completely been over run by capitolism and now has little to do with helping the planet.
ITS GOOD THAT TREE IS GONE, GREAT JOB YOUNG FARMERS THAT DID IT!
Defending horrible vandals makes you sound an idiot.
So did cutting down the tree stop the farmer losing his farm? I’m guessing probably not. So it was a pointless waste!
Whenever I hear people moaning about moss in their gardens I think of Whitman's Wood! Such a magical place & folk have thought so for a long time. "Wisht" means eerie in the Devon dialect.
Loved seeing it in your video. A remnant of the forest that covered the whole moor that was cleared by mesolithic hunter gatherers circa 5000 bce.
When you find a group of hut circles on the moor those people lived in the temperate rainforest/ wildwood. It's easy to forget that now the moor is so open.
Back in c. 1620, these old... (some of the oldest, many stemmed, distorted & stunted oak trees are 400-500 years old & show the effects of ancient bleak winters up on the high moor.) ...trees were described as "no taller than a man may touch to top with his head".
But even Whistman's Wood is getting damaged even though it's untouched. It is the cold & altitude (1,350ft or 410 metres) that checked these oaks keeping them as scrub, hugging the ground, in 1620 no more than 6ft (1.82 metres).
As the Industrial Revolution got underway the trees responded to the extra CO₂ & rising temperatures.
During the 20th century their height approximately doubled (in 1997 the maximum and average height of trees was around 12 m (39 ft) and 7 m (23 ft) and the multi-stemmed, semi-prostrate oaks are not being replaced. The new oaks are single stemmed, upright trees.
Source, memory and Wikipedia.
When I heard about this tree my heart broke. I walk in ancient woodlands everyday I love trees so much magical 💚
I live in an urban landscape - Edinburgh Newtown, as it happens. Outside my kitchen window I see two mature lindens. - about 30m, they have been there for some time
I see those trees every day. They change .
They spell out the story of a year.
I'm too old to get into the wild lands now, The urban trees still enthrall. Maybe they can open other eyes.
Linden is my favourite spring salad green. Try them!
@@marktyler3381 I shall.
I collect the flowers including the leaves of the Linden flower. It makes a good tea and is easy to dry and store. The Vikings used to make rope out of the fibres of the bark.
@@trevormatthews7981 The young leaves are excellent in salads
The sycamore tree had a story, a history, and was an icon,
I hope they get their full day in court and see justice served
What ever your views are on the felling of other trees, this does not excess what they did,
I too have trees on my land, and appreciate their beauty
. Thank you for posting
Its maybe the most famous tree in England but I hadn't heard of it until it was cut down. The fortingall Yew is the most famous tree here in Scotland.
@@markwilkie3677 it's not, fu ck that tree. Wasn't famous but for having a scenic spot and being in a couple movies. It's now famous but wasn't before the chop, there is far more important and famous trees in the UK. That was literally no different from any other invasive ornamental in some joes garden.
@@tomt637as someone from Northumberland, everyone knew that tree locally, it was very much a local icon and landmark
I love this channel. Most things are doom and gloom climate change global death. This channel is on the ground, feels good, and inspires to do something. So many times i wake to see these videos then plan a trip to the native nursery.