As tragic as this is. I think they should plant a new tree in the same location.
I know it won't be the same, it won't heal the wound, at least not for hundreds of years, if ever. But it's just how society and the world is. Great things are made and appreciated, treasured even, and endure for a while, then they are broken by something, one way or another. And you can't undo that damage, but you can start over and build again. And that's all you can ever do. And although it may not seem like much now, there can perhaps still be greatness in the future again if we start to build it now. That greatness may not be exactly the same as the greatness of old, but it can be great in its own way.
I have been thinking that it should be given the to recover the best it can - it is a sycamore tree, so there will likely be some regrowth. It won't be the same, but eventually it could be beautiful in a different way.
Alternative (and a bit far-fetched) theory, let's imagine a defense that could save him:
"Dumb but not malicious"
The kid was trying to get pocket money, and he was tasked to cut down the tree.
He thought it was a legitimate job, so he took down the tree.
This is also why he used professional tools like a chainsaw.
Unfortunately, we cannot identify the requester
+ the kid had no way to verify the Tree Preservation Order because of technical issues;
(the website with the TPO actually yields an error "This request was blocked by our security service (Imperva)" / "Page not found", depending on the dataset you pick)
Disappointing, and another in a string of humans destroying things of natural beauty. A few years ago, the Wanaka tree in New Zealand was severely damaged due to tourists climbing on it.
As an aside, I think it's quite interesting what various countries consider "ancient." A tree that's not even 200 years old wouldn't be considered especially old on the west coast of the US, but a building that's 100 years old would; in the UK, it's often the reverse. (I fully understand why this is the case, given the relative ages of the countries and their levels of deforestation, but it's a fun curiosity anyway.)
I'm not saying that it's actually ancient, and neither I nor the original commenter was talking about the tree, or what it's famous for.
Anyone who read the article already understands what it's famous for.
I'm saying that the previous comment did not claim the tree was famous for it's ancientness. Their remark simply remarked upon what the title said, and by implication, anyone who would write it.
They aren't talking about the tree, or what it's famous for. They are talking about the title author.
Aljazeera is based in Qatar - an environment not known for trees. The native Sidra tree only lives for 50-100 years. So in that context 300 is fairly ancient.
www.ancienttreeforum.org.uk says: "Ancient trees are those which have reached a great age in comparison with others of the same species." "A birch tree could be considered as ancient at 150 years old, for example, but an oak tree would not be thought of as ancient until it’s at least 400 years old."
I'm not sure everyone would understand the expression in that way, though.
(As already discussed in the Wikipedia talk page, now that this tree has been felled, someone should count the rings and tell us exactly how old it was!)
The sad thing is that we know what and where the oldest tree in the world is, but it's deliberately kept secret so that idiots don't intentionally go cut it down for the lulz/views/likes/just because
Did the teen fell it? Report I read was police were still seeking info and the kid was only "assisting them with their inquiries" -- which may or may not be a police-talk euphemism, I have zero idea!
This is so tragic tho. But not really the kind of thing I think locking someone up will solve. I'm thinking more like 5000 hours of community service planting forests all over England. It's not going to bring the poor little tree back...but maybe it can turn a lesson in someone's mind... need to make some good come out of this tragedy.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they have indications he felled it. He could have been there with somebody else, for example, or they may have evidence that he provided the chainsaw.
I do wonder about that “for which his arrest is necessary” part. What would make that necessary in this case?
Holding this (and my emotional reaction to it) in mind while reading the State of Nature report 2023 [1]
Around 1 in 6 species are at risk of extinction from Great Britain, discussing trends over the last 50 years or so, following centuries of major changes to ecosystems and habitats.
Something iconic [2] in imagery/memory/culture, next to clear summary and review.
Funny how something insignificant like this make a big news, but corporates destroying swarths of forests (1) and ecosystem for billions of dollars and get zero or little coverage.. maybe I’m a little cynical but I think we are at the stage of society that it’s ok to attack others as long as they are in the same class as you or even lower, but things take a different turn when they are higher one, and I don’t mean the direct fear of being sued for example, no, even between each other behind closed doors, you don’t see the same anger against corporates/higher classes as it’s against other of the same or lower one, truly sad situation.
To add to class things - there is constand scrutiny towards the lower class labour - they dont want to go to the office, if benefits are too high, noone will work, are they getting paid too much, etc.
I have never heard anyone say that investors are lazy and not doing their job. What kind of idiots invest in Theranos without doing due dilligence? Why is infrasteucture lacking investment? Why is more money slocking around speculation instead of the real economy?
The issue here is not the tree. But human breaking the law. I’m sorry to be that person , but trees are replaceable fortunately for us, I can’t understand how this crime takes the spot before the UK scandals which are … outrageous
There’s an article somewhere about how UK preservationists preserve the land as they knew it which is basically farms, there isn’t really a “allow the land to be how it was for thousands of years” movement like you have in the US.
It’s not possible except by regrowing the tree from the trunk. Plants have a much different circulatory system that doesn’t have main arteries and veins that can easily be reattached together. Since they use capillary action to move fluid around rather than a pumping heart, the xylem and phloem are microscopic and distributed throughout the trunk instead of branching like human blood vessels. Aligning enough of them back together to keep a large trunk alive is impossible, especially since trees form calluses over injuries to prevent infection.
Grafting works with small branches because enough of the callus can differentiate into xylem and phloem cells before the branch dries out and dies (via use of plant hormones usually).
We probably have no experience in doing this with big trees, but I wonder if (probably after mastering the technique for some time) it would be possible to reattach such tree. It sure works with small branches even across different species.
Sycamore is one of the trees that has coppiced in the UK for centuries and there are hopes that shoots can be persuaded to grow on the stump and roots, but not quite the same as reattaching the trunk:
Just graft the old tree back in place, it's only the outer layer that's alive anyway? Drill a iron rod into the center, shorten it and reconnect the bark.
If the powers in this have actually begun yet (I'm unclear given the future tense), unlimited fines, plus the possibility of… prison time if he doesn't plant another one? That doesn't seem right…
Your facts are completely wrong, the case you're referring to has been headline and front-page news on the BBC website for 2 days, I only heard about the tree through this hn link.
I suppose that you are in a position to be measuring the differences in societal sentiment re different news events?
I agree. Society’s attitude toward DV / violence against women is abhorrent. This sort of whataboutism is not the answer. It doesn’t help any cause. You’re doing it for selfish reasons.
I know it won't be the same, it won't heal the wound, at least not for hundreds of years, if ever. But it's just how society and the world is. Great things are made and appreciated, treasured even, and endure for a while, then they are broken by something, one way or another. And you can't undo that damage, but you can start over and build again. And that's all you can ever do. And although it may not seem like much now, there can perhaps still be greatness in the future again if we start to build it now. That greatness may not be exactly the same as the greatness of old, but it can be great in its own way.