Minimum age of Sycamore Gap tree confirmed by scientists after illegal felling

Scientists have confirmed the minimum age of the Sycamore Gap tree after it was illegally felled in 2023.

The tree, which stood in a natural gap in the landscape next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, was analysed by a team of experts from Historic England – the public body that protects the country’s historic environment.

The researchers found the tree to be at least 100 to 120 years old when it was cut down.

This means it is likely to have appeared in the landscape in the late 1800s.

The tree was deliberately cut down overnight in September 2023, prompting a national outcry and a police investigation.

Earlier this year, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty of its illegally felling and were sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Historic England said its team took a slice from the cross section of the trunk, before wrapping and transporting it to its national science facility in Portsmouth.

The experts counted the tree rings, arriving at an estimated 100-120 for the two main stems of the trunk, which were about a metre off the ground.

Rings each typically indicate a year of growth, meaning the tree is at least a century old.

The oldest rings representing the first years of the tree’s life would be lower down at the base of the trunk, which suggests the tree was first planted even earlier in the late 19th century.

The team said the rings were clear across a majority of the surface, but they were less distinctive in others so it was challenging to obtain precise counts.

Elsewhere, they observed a distinctive feature in the form of “internal” bark – a line in the middle of the section that indicates the sycamore was at one time multiple individual trunks which fused together.

The two main stems fused when they were around 30 to 35 years old, the team said.

Zoe Hazell, senior palaeoecologist with Historic England’s Investigative Science team, said: “It has been a privilege working with colleagues on such an iconic tree and being able to contribute to our knowledge and understanding of its history in the landscape.

“Retaining the slice in HE’s National Wood Collection will ensure that it is kept safe for the nation.”

Cathy Tyers, a dendrochronologist with the Investigative Science team, said: “Historic England’s analysis of the Sycamore Gap tree was different from my usual work which focuses on historic buildings and archaeological sites.

“The research also provided some challenges, such as the ring boundaries of sycamores being less obviously defined than some other tree species, and also the comparative scarcity of existing reference data on historic sycamore trees compared to other trees such as oak or pine.

“I hope that this research adds further to its fascinating story and contributes to its remarkable legacy.”

Since its felling in September 2023, Historic England, the National Trust and Northumberland National Park have created a series of initiatives to mark the legacy of the tree and engage communities at a local and national level.

The slice of the tree used for the scientific analysis has been stored securely at the Portsmouth laboratory and is expected to be added to Historic England’s National Wood Collection where it can be made available for future research.

Published: 04/09/2025 by Radio NewsHub