Robin Hood's Tree — the 1,000-Year-Old Legend of Sherwood Forest — Declared Dead

One of the astir celebrated trees successful the satellite was declared dormant aft failing to nutrient leaves pursuing repeated hot, adust summers and years of attraction from tourists.

Sherwood Forest’s gigantic Major Oak successful Nottinghamshire, England, thought to beryllium up to 1,200 years old, was a fashionable tourer attraction for its transportation to Robin Hood. The histrion was declared dormant by the RSPB, a foundation for the conservation of birds and nature, aft years of disposable decline. The determination was made aft the Major Oak failed to travel into leafage this spring.

The RSPB said the tree’s decease was caused by “a analyzable operation of issues.”

Major Oak during 29th yearly Robin Hood Festival astatine Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. Photo by Rui Vieira/PA Images via Getty Images.

“For much than a century, good intentioned efforts to sphere the tree’s awesome signifier — including metallic bracing, props, factual and coverings — prevented it from ageing people and successful information created added challenges to its survival. Millions of visitors besides compacted the sandy ungraded astir its roots, making it hard for water, nutrients and oxygen to scope the tree," the RSPB explained.

“Recent investigations carried retired by the tract squad with the UK’s starring ungraded scientists and arboricultural experts, revealed that the ungraded was highly hard and lacking successful life, and the basal strategy was acold smaller and weaker than earlier scans suggested. This operation of mediocre soil, quality interventions and a weakened basal strategy has been a large origin successful the diminution of the Major Oak.

“Additionally, clime alteration and the associated caller vigor waves and droughts person compounded the challenges faced by the tree.”

Major Oak, Edwinstowe, Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, c1900. Photo by NEMPR Picture the Past/Heritage Images/Getty Images.

With a trunk circumference of astir 11 metres and a crown of 28 metres, the Major Oak has been woven into the communicative of Sherwood Forest and the fable of Robin Hood. Legend has it that Robin Hood hid wrong the hollow trunk of the histrion to flight from the Sherriff of Nottingham's men. Despite the legend, the Major Oak would person lone been an acorn astatine the clip of the outlaw, however, helium whitethorn person hidden successful a histrion of equivalent size astatine that time.

“Although this marks the extremity of the Major Oak arsenic a surviving tree, it does not people the extremity of its story,” the RSPB continued. “The iconic oak histrion remains a almighty beingness successful the scenery and an enduring portion of our taste heritage. The histrion and ungraded beneath it volition proceed to beryllium a captious refuge for wildlife and the cognition we person gained by looking aft the Major Oak volition assistance sphere different past oaks crossed the country. Its bequest volition unrecorded connected done its saplings and the legends associated with it, with plans being drawn up with our partners, and the histrion volition proceed to beryllium a captious refuge for wildlife.”

According to The Guardian, outdoor pedagogue Robert Brackley arrived dressed arsenic Robin Hood to springiness the histrion an informal funeral. "The stories it has fixed america is the legacy. It’s the astir celebrated histrion successful the world. The fable ever lives on. I consciousness bittersweet but it’s a fleeting infinitesimal successful time. We indispensable retrieve however it was and beryllium successful awe of it today."

Photo by Rui Vieira/PA Images via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].