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Sycamore Gap stump sprouts ring of shoots three years after iconic tree was illegally felled

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Sycamore Gap stump sprouts ring of shoots three years after iconic tree was illegally felled

New photographs released on the third anniversary of the felling reveal a thick ring of shoots, now standing two to three feet tall, emerging around the Sycamore Gap stump. National Trust general manager Andrew Poad called the growth "really encouraging," crediting fencing off the site and reducing soil compaction. The trust says the shoots could eventually develop into full new trees. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, both from Cumbria, were each jailed for four years and three months for the criminal damage.

Graham, 39, and Carruthers, 32, filmed themselves using a chainsaw to fell the tree during a storm on September 28 2023.

The National Trust fenced off the stump to limit human disturbance and reduce soil compaction around the roots.

Poad said rangers are 'filled with hope by the way nature is taking its course' as monitoring continues.

MoreLBCSycamore Gap tree springs back to life three years after it was hacked down by vandalsMetroSycamore Gap stump surrounded by ring of shoots three years on from fellingThe IndependentThe Sycamore gap tree was felled three years ago. It’s finally growing new shootsBBC News - EnglandHadrian's Wall Sycamore Gap tree stump shows 'encouraging' signsiNewsSycamore Gap stump shows new shoots three years after fellingEvening StandardSycamore Gap stump shows ring of shoots three years on from fellingIrish IndependentSycamore Gap stump in England shows ring of shoots three years on from felling
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