Major Oak of Sherwood Forest Declared Dead

Overview

• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds confirmed on Thursday that the Major Oak likely died after it failed to produce leaves this spring.
• Experts say the decline resulted from interacting causes: advanced age, soil compaction from long-term heavy visitation, decades of external supports on large limbs, and climate-driven heat and drought that reduced water uptake.
• The Major Oak was one of the United Kingdom’s best-known ancient oaks, with an estimated age of about 1,200 years and a trunk circumference of roughly 11 metres.
• The RSPB has announced the dead tree will remain in Sherwood Forest as a natural monument and as habitat for insects, fungi and birds rather than being removed.
• Conservators and local managers face renewed pressure to protect other veteran trees by reducing soil compaction, reviewing support methods and adapting visitor management as Europe’s older trees face more frequent extreme heat and drought.