Sycamoreless Gap

Take the train, save the environment! But trains are rubbish, build more trains! Wait no, don’t build more trains!

No wonder people get fed up with the environmental movement.

Anyway yes there’s a thread for this, I know.

It’s sad that someone cut down this tree but it’s a small thing compared with the environmental vandalism done to build HS2 and other building projects.

As mentioned already, as this an ironic tree it may make people more aware of the other damage. A copse hardly anyone has heard of won’t get the same attention.

Very fair points but HS2 is cutting down acres of ancient woodland which can never be replaced or mitigated for.

People get fed up with the environmental movement because it points out some uncomfortable truths.

Indeed.

As mentioned already, as this an ironic tree it may make people more aware of the other damage.

Yeah, it’s like rain on your wedding day, a free ride, when you’ve already paid.

I too am reminded that councils do this regularly – Perth and Kinross chopped down a Tree of the Year nominee which was much loved and used as a seating shelter on a school site so that the PE department didn’t have to walk as far to the plastic pitches for lessons. There was a huge local and pupil campaign – and so they chopped it down overnight and it still was chopped.

+1 on this highlights how we should value and fight for all of nature, not just a single photogenic item.

there was this act of vandalism too not very long ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/23/plymouth-council-leader-quits-after-approving-110-trees-being-cut-down

Yeah, it’s like rain on your wedding day, a free ride, when you’ve already paid.

Damn it.

blockuptheroad – that photo is so poignant.
I agree, for a fiver one can join the ‘woodland trust’. They have a quarterly magazine, this organisation can help buy swathes of land which ‘is suitable’ for tree planting (not all land is). They help protect trees and have many activities and tree planting sessions for children. If you have land or are part of a community with spare land, one can apply for free trees.
Atm I feel so tearful and annoyed by ancient trees being felled that I’m possibly going to tie myself to the next tree in danger.

This is a newspaper photo of my neighbour, Kerry, on the stump of a much loved, former tree of the year and iconic local Warwickshire pear tree, felled for no reason by HS2 workers.

This was a few years ago, and the HS2 works near to the site now show clearly that they did not necessitate its felling.

They compulsory purchased land and systematically went about flattening everything on it, necessary to the build or not. A lot of it during COVID when everyone’s backs were turned, including large areas of ancient woodland that were vaguely near the intended works.

Few people have any respect, understanding or compassion for the planet that sustains them.

What’s happened is hugely baffling and saddening, but, not surprising. An overwhelming amount of people are just terminally Tuesdays.

I hope that it’s a political statement highlighting Tory environmental policy failings. Their policy announcements over the last couple of weeks are worse crimes than cutting down a single tree. Which is a tragic mindless act among many if it’s not a political statement.

Haven’t yet spotted the obvious logo/tree meme potential anywhere. Where’s Jamie when you need him?

Word fail me that’s so sad. We are loosing species and habitat at an alarming rate and only a few weirdos seem to care, I’m a weirdo!

I am off to ride my bike and seem some nature before it all disappears.

Local rumour on a Cumbrian FB site, the culprit was a worker for the NT, he’d been sacked this week, so went back to pee off his ex employers for being sacked.

Local rumour on a Cumbrian FB site, the culprit was a worker for the NT, he’d been sacked this week, so went back to pee off his ex employers for being sacked.

Yep its definitely going to be someone pissed off with either NT or the council. Not gonna be a 16 year old either way.

I’d put my money on a pissed off farmer.

https://stw-forum-images.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/12983121/ada210fte0er1jxlorxozprpywgfzmdn.png

Where is photoshop when you need it?

Who needs photoshop when paint will make a suitably appropriate meal of it?

Few people have any respect, understanding or compassion for the planet that sustains them.

Plenty of people do. If you polled people to see if they should cut trees down or not, the overwhelming majority would say no. The problem is that we are part of a machine that we cannot control. The people in charge will say ‘oh we love trees BUT blablabla’ and they cite other reasons that they consider out of their control to do anything about.

The problem isn’t people (except for a few high profile cases as above) it’s the world we live in that is more or less out of control and no-one feels they can do anything about it.

Below is copied and pasted from a friend’s FB profile (she was devastated yesterday – owns a working farm not far from the site). Anyway, a friend of hers shared the below to help ease her emotions…

Acers (European sycamores are Acer Pseudoplanatus) react very well to cutting and respond with strong regrowth. They used to be coppiced to stumps to regrow into fresh poles harvested on a 15 year cycle. In a few weeks it’ll be covered in shoots and new growth, next year it’ll be a thicket of branches, and in 5 years maybe 30 feet high. It’ll arise phoenix like from its ruin. (He’s an arborist).

Yes, but as pointed out by countzero on the previous page, it wont be the same as the majestic 300 year old tree that was there before 🙁

Turn it into a holographic 3D experience like ABBA. You can even get a holographic Morgan Freeman to appear at random intervals. Works wonders at Universal Studios, crowds queuing for hours to see a holographic Harry Potter on a broomstick

(for those w/o a SoH, it’s an absolute disgrace. Never been there, never seen it but still oddly angry – even though there are hundreds and thousands of other trees being cut down every year by idiots I can’t explain why this has such an impact)

^^^ This is true, but they look gash.

One of the things about the gap sycamore was its proportions and shape relative to its surroundings was perfect. A coppice tree will just be a mess.

They’d be better off installing some sort of Angel of the North style impressive artwork I reckon. Something roman styled would be good. Edge of the Empire and all that.

They’d be better off installing some sort of Angel of the North style impressive artwork I reckon. Something roman styled would be good. Edge of the Empire and all that.

or they could just let the tree grow back rather than some twee manmade sculpture.

One of the things about the gap sycamore was its proportions and shape relative to its surroundings was perfect.

A coppice tree will just be a mess

I guess so, I was just relaying what I’d heard.

This was a particular highlight for me and my walking buddy when we completed the Hadrian’s Wall walk with work to raise money for charity. I’m glad I’ve got a few pics of it as was.

One of the things about the gap sycamore was its proportions and shape relative to its surroundings was perfect. A coppice tree will just be a mess.

An ideal reminder that nature is important, and resilient, even when it looks shit, then.

Not that I’m implying it’s not ok to be upset about this particular tree when there are others unnecessarily felled, btw.

I just can’t get my head around why you would cut it down.

In a few weeks it’ll be covered in shoots and new growth

And a high security fence, cctv and notices saying please don’t cut down the tree.

or they could just let the tree grow back rather than some twee manmade sculpture.

But the ‘tree’ won’t grow back, a random bushy looking mess will grow in its place. I guess people might come and see that…

Plankey Mill…

or they could just let the tree grow back rather than some twee manmade sculpture.

Why would it need to be twee? It could be really impressive. Then taken down in 300 years when the new sycamore has regrown.

@bunnyhop

“possibly going to tie myself to the next tree in danger. ”

I’ve done that.. bit scarry. But worth it for the fight for the environment. But sadly the developers got their way, they truly exercised their right to destroy :-(.

If you want a miserable ( but a good read) if you hav’nt already read Who Owns England and the Book of Trespass. If you don’t own the land, you are nothing 🙁

All in all, it seems to me, that we don’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone.

I’ve been thinking about it all day today, god it’s so bewildering why anyone would do this. And it’s the same for all these trees that get felled, unnecessarily or for no reason.

I’m lucky, I live amongst trees, next to a forest. But it doesn’t make the loss of a beautiful tree miles away any easier.

My only answer right now is to acknowledge the tree will survive, it will grow back. Different of course, although I’ll never know. And that what has happened will, in time, become the story of the tree.

They’d be better off installing some sort of Angel of the North style impressive artwork I reckon. Something roman styled would be good. Edge of the Empire and all that.

I’ve got a plan, they can just borrow the singing ringing tree.

I was devastated to see this. Never been there, probably never will.

Across the field from our house in coastal Ceredigion a new, local, millionaire caravan park owner bought the caravan park opposite.

within days he had his people cut down about half an acre of designated ancient woodland.

No permission or open request made.

we lost bats and owls. Otter poo was also seen at the base of the woodland where it met the stream.

I made his life hell and managed to delay his works for about a year, but ultimately there was no penalty and he got to build what he wanted anyway, just a year later – a gargantuan concrete retaining wall in place of ancient woodland.

It still boils my blood particularly because that is now the view from the back of house.
The council and NRW did nothing. 😔

Mini rant over. Sympathy for what’s happened at the gap in abundance.

I was devastated to see this. Never been there, probably never will.

Across the field from our house in coastal Ceredigion a new, local, millionaire caravan park owner bought the caravan park opposite.

within days he had his people cut down about half an acre of designated ancient woodland.

This absolutely makes me incandescent with rage. These people need plonking on an island, one way ticket only.

Shouldn’t the sentence be to ‘make good’ by tending the tree until it regrows to its former size and shape?

Ditto, for Sheffield’s tree hating councillors!

A 60 year old has now been arrested.

Why would it need to be twee? It could be really impressive. Then taken down in 300 years when the new sycamore has regrown.

It has an established root system already, the tree will grow substantially with a few years. Far better than a manmade structure will be seeing a tree mature.

This works better.

I wonder what the cost of this in lost visitor revenue is for the NT and local economy.

It’s still a nice walk but I bet it was the tree that drew in a fair few.

The council and NRW did nothing. 😔

Seems a regular occurrence that people like this run rings around the EA and councils.