First saplings grown from iconic Sycamore Gap to be planted after tree was illegally felled
The first saplings grown at the iconic Sycamore Gap will be planted following the illegal felling of the beloved tree, the National Trust has announced.
Five saplings will be buried on Saturday as National Tree Week kicks off, and more than half of the sycamore’s 49 “trees of hope” will be planted throughout the week.
The deliberate felling of the tree, which had sat in a hole on Hadrian’s Wall for more than a century, overnight in September 2023 sparked a national outcry and a police investigation.
Earlier this year, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were convicted of illegal logging and sentenced to more than four years in prison.
The 49 saplings, which represent the height of the plane tree in feet when it was cut, were grown from seeds and material salvaged from the felled tree growing on land maintained by the National Trust and nurtured at the charity’s plant conservation centre.
Among the first places to plant trees between 1.2 and 1.8 meters tall is the Tree Reserve in Coventry; Here, a young trio creates a project to save their city’s trees.
The saplings will also be planted on Saturday at a site commemorating the Minnie Pit mine disaster in Staffordshire and the site of the former military base and protest camp in Greenham Common, Berkshire, which reopened to the public in 2000.
Later in the week, saplings will be planted at the Rob Burrow Motor Neurone Disease Center at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland and Veterans in Crisis, a veterans charity, in Sunderland.
Andrew Poad, general manager of the National Trust’s Hadrian’s Wall properties, said: “It’s incredible to think that the first ‘offspring’ of this very famous tree will be planted this weekend – it seems like just yesterday when those first tentative shoots emerged.
“Over the next few years the saplings will really start to take shape and as plane trees are very hardy we are confident they will be able to withstand a variety of conditions.”
The first sapling grown from the Çınar Gap tree was gifted to the King last summer and will be planted on behalf of the nation at a later date.
The National Trust said more than 500 applications were received to host one of the 49 saplings.
One of the successful applicants is Tree Amigos, which established a Tree Reserve for unwanted trees in 2023 and will plant the trees of hope at Sowe Common North on Saturday.
Martina Irwin, co-founder of Tree Sanctuary, said: “Planting saplings today will be truly special and will give us a wonderful opportunity to connect more people, especially young people, with nature.
“We chose to plant this among the other ‘rescued’ trees we have planted on Sowe Common, thus serving as a beacon to inspire respect, understanding and a sense of responsibility towards all trees.
“We hope the planting of the Sycamore Gap tree sapling will encourage the next generation of young Tree Cheerleaders to get involved in future tree planting projects in Coventry.”
Hilary McGrady, chief executive of the National Trust, said: “It was the quick thinking of our conservationists following felling that ensured the survival of the Plane Gap tree.
“The team has beautifully cared for these 49 promising saplings and they are now ready to be given to communities, where they will be a source of inspiration, a place to think, a home for nature or just a reminder that there are always good things worth fighting for, even after something so meaningless.
“We can’t wait to see them improve.”
An additional sapling gifted to Henshaw Church of England Primary School, the closest school to Sycamore Gap, will be planted on its grounds early next month.
And by early 2026, a further 15 saplings will be planted in each of the UK’s national parks, including one in Northumberland, where the original plane tree is located.
