Stacey Seaside

It is not the “gap” you’re thinking of …

I have always loved animals, plants, flowers and trees.

The notion that someone would knowingly inflict harm on any living thing boggles the mind.

Yes, we have industrialized growing trees for lumber, raising cattle, chickens, etc. for food, growing veggies for the same purpose, growing flowers to eventually chop off at the stem and admire.

I am not against these industries.

What I am against is irrational, nonsensical destruction of something that is living and is causing no harm.

This week I spotted an article that drew on an old memory.

“Sycamore Gap Tree trial starts today.”

Now to most, sycamore is a type of tree. For me, it was the town that neighbored my college town, DeKalb Illinois.

I sent my memory back four plus decades; did Sycamore have a “Gap Tree?”

Not that I knew of and so I read on.

(image by Kris Hodgetts, Blyth in Northumberland)

No this wasn’t my Illinois small town of Sycamore. This was an actual tree neighboring Hadrian’s Wall in the UK. A sycamore had been planted three centuries ago between two rolling hills.

As I read further, I learned that it is one of the most photographed trees in England.

People from all over the world traveled to the Sycamore Gap tree to commemorate important life moments. Marriage proposals and birthday celebrations took place there. Families gathered to scatter loved ones’ ashes.

This week the trial began for the Sycamore Gap Tree

Northumberland National Park Authority officials believe the tree was “deliberately felled”.

Two men stand trial this week for allegedly destroying the living landmark.

The tree stood alongside a portion of Hadrian’s Wall. The wall is a 73-mile stone barrier built by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 CE to protect the empire’s northwest frontier. The accompanying tree was planted in the late 1800s by landowner John Clayton.

The placement of the sycamore, between two Northumberland hills, in the Gap, has made it a destination for many a marriage proposal.

I was horrified.

It had been an iconic symbol of the area, standing tall across three centuries at a natural dip in the landscape.

Admittedly I have been feeling a bit fragile since November 5.

I found myself weeping.

It seems beautiful things are being ripped to shreds lately.

Why would anyone destroy this gorgeous tree?

What could you possibly gain by doing this?

Was it some Tik-Tok challenge?

Had the property owner, where the tree is rooted, given the culprit(s) a hard time about something and this was revenge?

“The Hidden Life of Trees,” by Peter Wohlleben is a novel I had the pleasure of reading last spring. It is based on scientific discoveries that illuminate how trees communicate, feel, and live in social networks. I read the book because I was preparing to journey to the Highlands of Scotland for the FAWCO Youth Program, dedicated to the environment.

We spent four days at the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre. The venue was established by the charity organization Trees for Life . Their mission is a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands of Scotland, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive. While there, the youth who participated and moi, one of their adult program chaperones, were guided into taking trees from seeds to saplings and eventually replanted in the forest.

Living on tree-less Mykonos, I have a deep appreciation for trees. I value the time and care they require to begin their life journey. Trees are amazingly resilient against the worst of weather.

But trees are no match for evil men with heavy equipment.

On September 28, 2023, vandals illegally chopped down the living landmark.

Police deemed the tree’s felling a deliberate act of vandalism.

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, both in their 30s, appeared in court in May to face charges of criminal damage to the tree.

The tree’s trunk was more than 70 cm wide across.

Heavy equipment was required to take down the tree–not just a saw or an axe.

Thus deliberate planning with power tools was required, not just a rash act in the heat of a passionate moment.

I am beginning to doubt my blind faith in the ability of everyone to be good.

There are some very evil folk out there, walking the walk and talking the talk of your average Joe but they are simply in disguise.

And yet, there is hope.

Shoots are now growing from the stump of the tree.

But it will be decades until it is a visible presence on the landscape again.

(image by Jason Lock/National Trust)

On the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail new shoots recently appeared.

A fence protects the site of the Sycamore Gap tree’s stump.

And not only are new shoots present on the stump, but 49 saplings have been cultivated in hope.

The National Trust grew seedlings from the tree. A total of 49 saplings– one for each foot of the sycamore’s height – will be given away in the Tree of Hope project.

There were almost 500 applications when the trust announced the giveaway on the anniversary of the shocking attack on the tree, which had grown to become a striking landmark.

The saplings are currently being cared for by the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre. They should be strong and sturdy enough to plant out in winter of 2026.

The new homes for the saplings will all be in publicly accessible spaces, enabling many more people to feel part of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree’s legacy with recipients from around the UK.

Every application for a ‘Tree of Hope’ told heartfelt stories of people’s emotional connections to the Sycamore Gap tree and the importance of nature. They spoke of loss, hope and regeneration from towns, schools, colleges, community groups, hospitals and hospices. The judging panel said it has been a privilege to read them all.

Each sapling will carry a message of hope with it as they start a new chapter – not just for the tree but for all the 49 people and communities that will receive a sapling next year as well as the people who visit the trees in future.

May every tale of tragedy birth hope. But better yet, for the travesty not to have occurred.

May we all find hope even in the worst of life’s moments.

May 10, 2025 UPDATE on the GAP Tree

It was reported in the Wall Street Journal that:

“Two men were found guilty on Friday of cutting down an iconic British tree, a crime that had captured global headlines for the pointless destruction of a popular sycamore with Hollywood pedigree. … At a courtroom in Newcastle, Adam Carruthers, 32, and Daniel Graham, 39, were found guilty of two counts of criminal destruction for destroying the tree and damaging the UNESCO World Heritage site it fell onto. … The pair’s journey from Carlisle in northwest England to the tree in Northumberland was later tracked through Graham’s cellphone and police cameras. Prosecutors found photos of what they said was a slice of the tree next to a chain saw in the back of the car that made that journey.

Prosecutors also presented voice messages in which the pair talked excitedly of the global coverage of their crime and criticized a Facebook comment in which their actions were judged as weak.

During the trial, Graham blamed Carruthers, who he said used his vehicle and phone without his being present. Carruthers denied the crime.

The pair will be sentenced at a later date at Newcastle Crown Court. A legal representative for Carruthers declined to comment before then.”

Sometimes justice is served.

Don’t lose hope!