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submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage in connection with the felling of the 300-year-old Sycamore Gap tree in the north of England.

Officers arrested the teenager amid an outpouring of sadness over the destruction of the landmark, which has been a feature of the site at Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland for hundreds of years. The boy is in custody and assisting officers with their inquiries, Northumbria police said on Thursday.

Locals and national park authorities said they were “struggling to see the logic” in the destruction of a sycamore which had long become “part of this area’s DNA” and had gone through thousands of changes of seasons.

The tree, believed to have been about 300 years old, was made famous when it appeared in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner.

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[-] Kofu@lemmy.ml 135 points 1 year ago

There is no logic, only destruction.

[-] qooqie@lemmy.world 129 points 1 year ago

I’m really not a big fan of the teenage phase some go through where they think it’s fun to be edgy and crap on other people’s hobbies and interests.

[-] TheHangedMan@lemm.ee 31 points 1 year ago

It can be frustrating to see, but they have a tonne going on biologically. I’ve had a bunch of friends, nieces & nephews that have all been horrible when teenagers, then grow up to be fantastic, kind people.

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[-] NounsAndWords@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

Teenage angst and contrarianism is it's own form of (backwards) logic.

[-] Wahots@pawb.social 88 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Make him replant sycamore trees, then work for the forest druids/nearest national park during summer vacations. His spirit sounds troubled.

[-] Smoogs@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Before allowing him into national forests to work in them to pay off a debt I’d probably make sure he has no matches on him first

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[-] Vodik_VDK@lemmy.world 82 points 1 year ago

I dislike you 16-year old boy, Sycamore Gap Feller.

I dislike you as I dislike Brock Turner, Convicted Rapist.

[-] klemptor@lemmy.ml 44 points 1 year ago

You mean Convicted Rapist Brock Turner, now going by the name of Convicted Rapist Allen Turner, who was sentenced to six months but only served three for what his father called (and I quote) "twenty minutes of action"? That Convicted Rapist Brock Allen Turner?

[-] Vodik_VDK@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

[I awaken as a shadow of my former self, a figment of the late-night scroller you met so long ago. I return to you now, humbled and broken by time and nature, and in my defeat I must profess that In my state I find myself unfit to take up the weight of the banner which I swore to bear.]

Yes, the very same Brock Allen Turner, convicted rapist of an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, who only served three months.

[-] Chickenstalker@lemmy.world 71 points 1 year ago

Punish the kid by forcing him to plant 300 new sycamore saplings but using a toothpick instead of a shovel.

[-] Tujio@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago

Punish him by making him watch Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 300 times.

[-] ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

No need to be so savage... he's just a kid!

[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 7 points 1 year ago

Cut out his heart with a spoon!

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[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 66 points 1 year ago

Just let him pay for the purchase and transplanting of a similar quality tree of 300 years.

[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago

We moved a 260 year old oak 50 yards to save it when building a new City Halland police station.

It cost $250,000.

[-] Lev_Astov@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

So about the same as US student loans? Sounds like a good amount of debt to put him in.

[-] Lols@lemm.ee 26 points 1 year ago

putting people in serious, permanent financial financial trouble with no real chance of escaping is famously effective at treating criminality

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[-] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 46 points 1 year ago

Also today some people got arrested for putting a hole large enough to drive a truck through in the Great Wall of China. Today is bad day for ancient walls.

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[-] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago

He’s just a pissed off, angsty, angry teenager. Make him plant 300 trees as community service in the presence of arborists and maybe he’ll learn something good for the rest of his life. Jail won’t help this tree, our world, or him.

[-] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 42 points 1 year ago

Just look at that tree:

That even looks too good to be real. Probably one of the best places for such a tree to grow.

How do you just decide, "Yep, let's cut it down!" here? Did he take drugs? Like, I mean, all of them.

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[-] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 41 points 1 year ago

The punishment should be that he becomes Johnny Appleseed and has to spend the rest of his life crossing the country planting trees

[-] moitoi@feddit.de 41 points 1 year ago

Education. Please educate your kids.

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[-] madcaesar@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

Insane question, could the tree be saved by splicing it back into the trunk? Like you can do with small trees?

[-] hedgehogging_the_bed@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago

If they had found it right after it had been felled, they might have had a slight chance if they already had a crane nearby and ready and a firehouse.

Trees are basically a huge ring of tubes to carry water/sap/ tree blood, a thin layer of living wood between the bark and the dead wood inside from earlier growth. The tree relies on those tubes always being full of water because it doesn't have any way to push the sap around actively. The water evaporates from the leaves, buds, any part of the tree not covered by bark, and this pulls water from the bottom of the tree up to replace it. (Technically the water moves up due to capillary action of the close molecular interactions of the H2O and the tiny size of the tubes so it doesn't need a lot of "pull")

But if these tubes get cut, an air bubble gets in and that flow is interrupted. It's difficult or impossible for a plant to recover flow in that tube. If the cut is kept wet, it can keep air from blocking the tube, which is wide you are advised to trim flower stems under running water and never let them dry out if you are keeping flowers in a vase.

If a tree loses most of all of these tubes to air bubbles, it can't really recover. This is why "ringing" a tree kills it and also why there is a strict limit on the number of times you can tap a Maple Tree for syrup.

[-] appel@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

Not OP, but thanks for taking the time to thoroughly answer a question I had as well.

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[-] jarfil@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

16-year-old boy [...] struggling to see the logic

What logic?

had gone through thousands of changes of seasons [...] 300 years old

300 years is only 1200 seasons.

[-] Mandarbmax@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

"Has gone through thousand of change of seasons" just doesn't have the same ring to it

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[-] Claidheamh@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 year ago

1200 is thousands. 1.2 thousands, to be specific.

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[-] okamiueru@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm fine with a lenient punishment. If it turns out he did it to get attention, I'm happy to grant him that wish by an exceptionally harsh punishment, so much so that more little shits wanting to make society worse and being rewarded for it, will see that the risk is too high. Don't go into female only carriages in Japan, don't cut down trees, don't do dumb stunts against homeless people, etc.

Half the time it's paid actors, but when it's not, throw the book at them, or force extended community service to remedy the harm they do. Financially penalise any monetary gain made from such stunts. Etc.

[-] fruitleatherpostcard@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago

So the various theories I’ve read are:

  • kid is retarded.
  • kid is acting on behalf of family.
  • kid is blamed for family’s act.
  • kid was fired from local ranger service and wanted revenge.
  • all of above.
[-] FarceMultiplier@lemmy.ca 33 points 1 year ago

Kid wanted to be tiktok famous.

[-] 3ntranced@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago

Like he said, kid is retarded.

[-] pivot_root@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Hey now, that's offensive to retarded people. They're smarter than wanting to be TikTok famous.

[-] Sweetpeaches69@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Believe it or not, straight to jail.

[-] autotldr 8 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Officers arrested the teenager amid an outpouring of sadness over the destruction of the landmark, which has been a feature of the site at Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland for hundreds of years.

Locals and national park authorities said they were “struggling to see the logic” in the destruction of a sycamore which had long become “part of this area’s DNA” and had gone through thousands of changes of seasons.

The tree, believed to have been about 300 years old, was made famous when it appeared in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner.

Supt Kevin Waring of Northumbria police said on Thursday: “This is a world-renowned landmark and the events of today have caused significant shock, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond.

Tony Gates, the chief executive of the Northumberland national park authority, said staff at the visitor centre had been in tears after arriving in the morning and finding the famous tree felled.

The Twice Brewed Inn, a stone’s throw from the site, has offered a £1,500 bar tab to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who carried out the offence.


The original article contains 822 words, the summary contains 196 words. Saved 76%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

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this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
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