Seedlings from the felled Sycamore Gap tree will be planted across the UK, including at the site of the disaster, in a city still recovering from the Troubles, and in a site that has become an international symbol of peace, protest and feminism.
The National Trust reported the planting of 49 seedlings, known as “trees of hope”“, will begin on Saturday. It is hoped that Sycamore will live a positive and inspiring life.
The Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland was one of Britain's most famous and beloved trees. When was this criminally stabbed to death for no apparent reason on a stormy night in September 2023. there was general anger.
Hilary McGrady, chief executive of the National Trust, said it was the “fast thinking of our conservationists after the logging that allowed the Sycamore Gorge to survive.”
Seeds from the tree were collected to produce 49 seedlings, one for each foot of height of the tree, which was probably planted in the late 19th century.
One of the seedlings, which now stands between four and six feet tall, has received nearly 500 applications.
The foundation said the first five saplings will be planted on Saturday, with many more to follow in a few days. National Tree Week. Everything will be in public places.
One of the seedlings will be planted next to the military control tower on Greenham Common in Berkshire.
As a base for US cruise missiles, the hill became the site of women's peace camps in the 1980s, which had a dramatic impact on public awareness of the dangers of storing weapons there. At its peak, there were over 70,000 women present. and it became the largest protest led by women since then women's suffrage.
Today the tower is used as a community center and museum. Helen Beard Greener Greenham Common Groupcalled the seedling “a powerful way to spread a message of hope – for nature, our environment and the world.”
“It will be seen by a lot of visitors using the control tower, and we think they will be very moved by it,” Beard said.
Another seedling is being planted in Strabane in County Tyrone on Saturday. Strabane, on the border with the Irish Republic, suffered greatly during the Troubles, but today it is a place with a vibrant arts and music scene where much has been done to foster a sense of resilience and hope.
The tree is being planted as a symbol of the town's “collective journey to healing” and a tribute to John Gallagher, a beloved member of the Strabane community who died last year from motor neurone disease.
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Three more landings will take place on Saturday: at a site dedicated to Minnie Pit mine disaster in Staffordshireat the Tree Reserve in Coventry, where three teenage friends helped create a project to save trees in his cityand to Coton Orchard in Cambridgeshire for a grassroots project called Coton loves pollinators.
A cotton tree will be planted Sir Partha DasguptaProfessor of Economics at Cambridge University, considered one of the world's leading thinkers about the value of nature for people and place.
Later this week the seedlings will be planted in places including the Rob Burrow Center for Motor Neurone Disease, Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, Hexham General Hospital in Northumberlandand at veterans' charity Veterans in Crisis in Sunderland.
Andrew Poad, general manager of the National Trust's Hadrian's Wall properties, said: “It's incredible to think that the first 'descendant' of this very famous tree will be planted this weekend.
“Over the next few years the seedlings will really start to take shape and because sycamores are so hardy we are confident they will be able to withstand a range of conditions.”
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