Overview

• Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, received four-year-three-month prison terms at Newcastle Crown Court for criminal damage after deliberately felling the iconic tree in September 2023.
• Freedom of Information disclosures show taxpayers face an £18,674 bill for their legal aid, prompting scrutiny of defence costs in environmental crime cases.
• Northumberland National Park and The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre will exhibit a major section of the felled trunk to honour the tree’s heritage.
• The National Trust is propagating seedlings and cuttings from the original tree in the hope of growing future saplings to carry on its legacy.
• Conservation groups and lawmakers are calling for a national register and stronger legal protections for heritage trees in the wake of the high-profile case.