Overview

• On July 15, the Court of Newcastle sentenced Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers to four years and three months each for using a chainsaw to fell the 19th-century Sycamore Gap Tree in September 2023.
• Judges highlighted the high degree of planning involved and accepted prosecution figures that put restoration costs, including damage to the UNESCO-listed Hadrian’s Wall, at about £458,000.
• Neither defendant has offered a clear motive, dismissing the landmark as “just a tree” despite global condemnation of its destruction.
• The National Trust has recorded fresh shoots emerging from the stump and cultivated 49 young plants from collected seeds for public replanting next winter.
• Visitors to Northumberland National Park can now view a permanent installation carved from the original trunk, designed to honor the tree’s cultural significance.