Law proposed to protect ‘landmark trees’ after Sycamore Gap

Hexham MP Joe Morris wants a legal register of such plants to prevent another attack on landmark sites.

It follows the illegal felling of Sycamore Gap in 2023, which Mr Morris said “felt like an attack”.

He suggested that Sherwood Forest’s Major Oak, where Robin Hood and his Merry Men are said to have sheltered, should be included in the list if the law were to be passed.

Mr Morris told the Commons: “Trees are not ‘just trees’.

“Our planet is intrinsically dependent upon them—they are vital to sustaining our planet, cleaning our air, supporting our biodiversity and our ecosystems.

“There is a reason why trees so often appear in our culture and our literature for their symbolic significance.”

Hexham MP Joe Morris is proposing the law. (Image: Supplied)

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were convicted of criminal damage for felling the Sycamore Gap tree, which was also a backdrop in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

They were each jailed for four years and three months, and other charges related to damage caused when the tree fell on Hadrian’s Wall.

Mr Morris described the Sycamore Gap tree as “not just a landmark – it was a majestic symbol of resilience, of North East identity and of belonging” which there was “no place quite like.”

This proposed law would protect trees that have cultural, historical, ecological, or symbolic significance, with the Crowhurst Yew in Surrey – which some estimates suggest has been growing for around 4,000 years – suggested for the list.

Mr Morris tabled the Iconic Trees and Nature Education Bill on Monday, and named January 16 to list the draft new law for a second reading debate.