The National Trust has begun planting 49 saplings from the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree across the UK, including at sites of historical and emotional significance. The initiative, which starts on Saturday during National Tree Week, aims to ensure the iconic tree lives on in a positive way.
Known as 'trees of hope', the saplings represent each foot of the tree's height. They will be placed in publicly accessible spaces, with nearly 500 applications received for the limited number of trees. The first five plantings include Greenham Common in Berkshire, Strabane in County Tyrone, the Minnie Pit mining disaster site in Staffordshire, the Tree Sanctuary in Coventry, and Coton Orchard in Cambridgeshire.
At Greenham Common, the sapling will be planted next to a former military control tower, now a community centre and museum. The site was home to women's peace camps in the 1980s protesting US cruise missiles. Helen Beard of the Greener Greenham Common Group called the sapling 'a powerful way to spread a message of hope – for nature, our environment and for peace'.
In Strabane, the tree will symbolise the town's healing journey after the Troubles and honour John Gallagher, a community member who died from motor neurone disease. Other plantings later in the week include the Rob Burrow centre in Leeds, Hexham General Hospital, and a veterans' charity in Sunderland.
Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust's Hadrian's Wall properties, said: 'It's incredible to think that this weekend, the first offspring of this very famous tree will be planted. Over the next couple of years, the saplings will really start to take shape, and because sycamores are so hardy, we're confident they'll be able to withstand a range of conditions.'
