Sycamore Gap seedlings showing signs of reproduction: NPR

The Gap sycamore tree has attracted visitors and fame to a section of Hadrian’s Wall near Hexham in northern England. Shown here in June, and below, after being cut in September.

Ollie Scarfe/AFP via Getty Images

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Ollie Scarfe/AFP via Getty Images

The Gap sycamore tree has attracted visitors and fame to a section of Hadrian’s Wall near Hexham in northern England. Shown here in June, and below, after being cut in September.

Ollie Scarfe/AFP via Getty Images

The tree occupied a magical place in the landscape of Northumberland, England, and in the hearts of those who visited it. So the news that efforts to propagate the ancient tree are likely to succeed is welcome now, after the tree was cut down in September.

“[We] “We are encouraged by the positive signs of life and are hopeful that more than 30 per cent of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings (scions) will be viable,” Andy Jasper, director of parks and recreation at the National Trust, said in a sent statement. To NPR.

“Over the next year, we will do everything we can to nurture the seeds and seedlings, with the hope that some of them will grow into strong, sturdy seedlings, providing a new future for this much-loved tree,” Jasper said. “

The sycamore trunk may grow back, but it could be several years before it’s known whether that will work, Jasper said.

“As with many things in landscape restoration, we need to be patient and take time to let nature do its work,” he said.

“There is no further action” for the teen who was arrested

A 16-year-old boy was arrested shortly after the tree was cut down, in what police said was an act of deliberate vandalism. But Northumbria Police He said recently The teenager “will now face no further police action.” Instead, their focus is on three men – two in their 30s and one in his 60s – who were arrested in the weeks after the incident.

Police did not reveal many details about the remaining three suspects, but media reports indicated that at least one of them was a former lumberjack who was in possession of a large saw.

The criminal charges in this case could extend beyond the tree itself. Authorities recently announced that when the sycamore tree fell, it also damaged Hadrian’s Wall, a wall UNESCO World Heritage Site Which represented the ancient borders of the Roman Empire.

Welcome news about a famously attractive tree

The good news about the tree’s legacy comes after weeks of waiting to see if the 200-year-old tree might somehow survive. The felling of the tree sparked public grief and anger when tree owners rushed to the scene to try to preserve the tree.

The 200-year-old sycamore and its picturesque location next to Hadrian’s Wall has made it a popular place for people to visit during holidays, walks and picnics. She’s also appeared in countless Instagram photos and memorabilia, and in at least one feature film.

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The public response to the loss of the tree has been “unprecedented”, according to the National Trust. The longtime conservation charity says nearly 17 million people have followed news of the tree across its social media channels.

The National Trust is the steward of thousands of acres of land surrounding Hadrian’s Wall, including parts of Northumberland National Park such as the gully where sycamore trees grew.

The foundation and park are now working on plans to create a permanent tribute to the tree, including how best to use the wood reclaimed from its large trunk.