Sycamore Gap tourists warned 'don't touch the stump' as cops probe new theory
Tourists who have travelled to pay their respects to the iconic Sycamore Gap Tree after it was cut down this week have been urged to stop touching its stump and removing pieces from it.
The tree on Hadrian's Wall was felled overnight between Wednesday and Thursday and police launched an investigation. A 16-year-old male who was arrested in connection with the incident has now been released on bail pending further enquires, Northumbria Police has said. A second man in his 60s was arrested on Friday evening.
Since the felling, a number of people have travelled to the area to pay respects to the cut-down tree that was once a key part of the landscape. But the area around the tree was today fenced off and a chalked blackboard sign from the National Trust was put up, warning people to stay away and "respect the tree". It reads: "Please respect the tree and avoid touching it or removing pieces from it. We will find a way to commemorate it. Thank you."
People have been asked not to touch the tree (Newcastle Chronicle)It comes as police are probing a new theory that the tree could not have been cut down by just one boy - and made a second arrest. Former lumberjack Walter Renwick was evicted from his farm, with police searching the property as part of their investigation.
Mr Renwick's daughter-in-law Lauren said she was "livid" after the 69-year-old was taken into custody at Newcastle police station for "something he hasn't even done". She said he has two leaking heart valves and the physicality of such a task would be impossible for him.
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Sunflowers left on the stump after the iconic tree was cut down (Newcastle Chronicle)Speaking to the Times, Lauren said of her father-in-law: "He's got two leaking heart valves. He's never fit enough to get up there. He's down here living like f*****g Bear Grylls."
The pensioner himself told the Sun: "I didn't do it." He added: "I am a former lumberjack and I have just been kicked off my property, so I can see why people have pointed the finger. My brother came down to make sure I hadn't been arrested as he had heard the rumours. It's very sad. It's an iconic tree."
The tree was cut overnight between Wednesday and Thursday (Newcastle Chronicle)Woodland Heritage, a UK charity that promotes woodland management for the future of British trees, is offering to help collect and preserve the remains of the Sycamore Gap tree so that its legacy can be saved as fine furniture and objects for the nation. The charity, which operates a sawmill in Herefordshire, said it would professionally dry and store the sycamore timber until it could be made into beautiful objects by master craftspeople.
"Sycamore (Acerpseudoplantanus) is a brilliant white timber, but there is a strong likelihood that because it was felled at this time of year the sap will turn the timber yellow leaving ugly streaks - unless it is air dried and stored correctly by professionals," said David Cracknell, Vice-Chairman of Woodland Heritage. "The felling of this wonderful historic tree was a horrendous act of vandalism, but we would be delighted to offer our skills and services to the National Trust for free to play a part in making sure that some good comes out of it.
A police investigation is ongoing (Newcastle Chronicle)"Preserving the fine timber for the nation in the form of beautiful furniture or objects - such as bowls, chairs, tables and benches – would not only provide a fitting legacy for the Sycamore Gap Tree, but it would also ensure that the carbon captured in it be locked up forever. If the trunk is burnt or left to rot it will release the CO2 back into the atmosphere.
"Let's make this a national project and launch a competition for ideas of what to do with the sycamore trunk. Think of the 5,000-year-old bog oak timber that was made into a wonderful table in Rochester Cathedral."
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