First ‘hopeful’ saplings from felled Sycamore Gap tree set to be planted

The first saplings grown from the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree are to be planted as National Tree Week kicks off, the National Trust has said.

Five saplings will go in the ground on Saturday, with more than half of the 49 “trees of hope” from the sycamore that stood for more than a century in a dip in Hadrian’s Wall expected to be planted over the course of the week.

The tree was deliberately cut down overnight in September 2023, prompting a national outcry and a police investigation.

Earlier this year, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty of its illegal felling and were sentenced to more than four years in prison.

The saplings – 49 to mark the sycamore’s height in feet when it was cut down – were grown from the seeds and material rescued from the felled tree, which grew on land cared for by the National Trust, and were nurtured at the charity’s plant conservation centre.

The first places to plant the trees, which are now between four and six feet tall, include the Tree Sanctuary in Coventry, where a teenage trio set up a project to rescue their city’s trees.

Saplings will also be planted on Saturday at a site commemorating the Minnie Pit mining disaster in Staffordshire and at the former military base and location of the protest camp at Greenham Common, Berkshire, which reopened to the public in 2000.

Later in the week, saplings will be planted at The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, at Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland, and at a veterans’ charity, Veterans in Crisis, in Sunderland.

Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian’s Wall properties, said: “It’s incredible to think that this weekend, the first ‘offspring’ of this very famous tree will be planted – it feels like just yesterday that those tentative first shoots appeared.

“Over the next couple of years, the saplings will really start to take shape, and because sycamores are so hardy, we’re confident they’ll be able to withstand a range of conditions.”

The very first sapling grown from the Sycamore Gap tree was gifted to the King last summer and will be planted on behalf of the nation at a later date.

More than 500 applications were received to host one of the 49 saplings, the National Trust said.

One of the successful applicants is the Tree Amigos, who set up their Tree Sanctuary for unwanted trees in 2023, and will be planting their tree of hope on Sowe Common North on Saturday.

Martina Irwin, a co-founder of the Tree Sanctuary, said: “Planting the sapling today will be really special and gives us a great opportunity to connect even more people, especially young people, to nature.

“We’ve chosen to plant it among some other ‘saved’ trees that we have planted on Sowe Common, serving as a beacon to inspire respect, understanding, and a sense of responsibility toward all trees.

“We hope the planting of the Sycamore Gap tree sapling will encourage the next generation of young Tree Amigos to join in with future tree-planting projects in Coventry.”

Hilary McGrady, director general of the National Trust, said: “It was the quick-thinking of our conservationists in the aftermath of the felling that has allowed the Sycamore Gap tree to live on.

“The team has cared for these 49 hopeful saplings beautifully and they’re now ready to be given to communities, where they’ll become a source of inspiration, a place to reflect, a home for nature, or simply a reminder that there are always good things worth fighting for, even after something so senseless.

“We’re looking forward to seeing them thrive.”

Early next month, an additional sapling which was given to the school closest to the Sycamore Gap, Henshaw Church of England Primary School, will be planted in its grounds.

And another 15 saplings will be planted in each of the UK’s national parks in early 2026, including one in Northumberland where the original sycamore stood.