Sycamore Gap sapling planted in Coventry

One of the first saplings from the illegally felled Sycamore Gap Tree has been planted in Coventry.

49 saplings have been grown by the National Trust from seeds of the original tree, as part of the ‘Trees of Hope’ initiative. It was launched by the Trust in September 2024 to maintain the legacy of the original Sycamore Gap Tree.

The tree had stood for over a century in a dip in Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, before it was illegally cut down during the night in September 2023. Daniel Michael Graham and Adam Carruthers, who cut down the tree, were convicted of criminal damage and imprisoned in July this year.

The National Trust Director General, Hilary McGrady said: “These 49 saplings are ready to become a source of inspiration, a place to reflect, a home for nature or simply a reminder that there are always good things worth fighting for, even after something so senseless.”

Planting the sapling gives us a great opportunity to connect more people, especially young people, to nature. It will serve as a beacon to inspire respect, understanding and a sense of responsibility toward all trees

– Martina Irwin, co-founder of The Tree Sanctuary in Coventry

More than 500 groups and individuals across the country applied to host one of the 49 saplings, highlighting their emotional connections to the Sycamore Gap Tree.

The Tree Sanctuary in Coventry was one of those selected to receive a sapling, at a site which was set up three years ago by three teenagers who call themselves the “Tree Amigos”. They rescue trees that have been vandalised in Coventry and grow saplings from their seeds.

Martina Irwin, co-founder of The Tree Sanctuary, said: “Planting the sapling gives us a great opportunity to connect more people, especially young people, to nature. It will serve as a beacon to inspire respect, understanding and a sense of responsibility toward all trees.”

Saplings have also been given to locations such as a site commemorating the Minnie Pit mining disaster in Staffordshire, the former military base and location of the protest camp at Greenham Common in Berkshire, the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, and at a veterans’ charity, Veterans in Crisis, in Sunderland. These publicly accessible locations were chosen to allow as many people as possible to connect with the Sycamore Gap Tree’s legacy.

Another 15 saplings will be planted in each of the UK’s national parks early next year, including in Northumberland where the original sycamore stood.