Sycamore Gap

[Taipan]

I'm going to girdle a willow tomorrow...

[Skub]

I'm going to girdle a willow tomorrow...

Durty broot.

[DefTrap]

I'm going to girdle a willow tomorrow...

His cockerney slang is coming along innit?

[Desmodromic]

I'm a bit confused. Folk are classing this worse than rape or murder.

It's a fucking TREE FFS

Yup and flags and all sort of other stuff are full of them, they are there for a reason, to be there for over 300 years, and the people who chopped down a tree knowing, and they did, otherwise why do in the dead of night, and for what reason, firewood? Nope, they know what that tree means to people thats why they cut it down. Having no respect for, in many people eyes an iconic tree, that is why they are icons. I will therefore assume that in your life, and yes I'm still stoned but I make no excuse for saying. that if in your life there is nothing, and I mean just one thing that you know that is, and has been for 300 years something iconic, unique, the only one, like this ever in existence has one like this and you are willing to 'destroy' that object so no one else, despite it being a 'just' a tree makes me sad. Being able to say that as if its nothing, I would think is unusual. It maybe a tree to you but to many millions of people. Ask artists that have painted it, lovers that would have made love for centuries under the tree, people who have proposed, got engaged or even kissed under that tree. Never mind the many thousands of people who come to photograph it, What you are saying is that is ok to destroy that sort of thing. Otherwise that iconic unique thing that you can think of, anything in history, object, flag, it means absolutely nothing. Might as wipe it all out history that is nothing to see here lets smash it all up, cos no-none bothered about it.

Is cutting down a tree a worse crime than someone hitting your wife/mum/child?

Answer honestly

Yes its a tree and there are millions of them. But this one was more than just a tree. I will be honest and say that I think in some ways it is worse than hitting someone. Because now that tree has gone, and by cutting it down they have killed it brought sadness to a lot of people. For what reason I do not know but it was wrong, it is criminal and by saying that its 'just a tree' makes it acceptable to do.

If its just a tree would YOU make a decision and cut down THAT tree. I could go into a forest or even a small wood and cut down a tree and maybe nothing would said. But taking a chainsaw to that one will bring consequences. Which makes it more than a tree.

Answer honestly and say you would have no problem cutting down THAT tree as its just a tree, after all there are millions of them.

[MyLittleStudPony]

This isn't the Brexit I voted for.

[JackyJoll]

There'll be some type of monument on the stump in a few weeks and tourist will want to see it.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Did anyone on here know the tree was there before it was cut down?
Had anyone on here visited it?
Do you get uptight about every tree that's chopped down?
How do you decide which trees are important to you and which ones aren't?

[Nordboy]

Whilst it may just be a tree, for me, it's just a further sign of the decline in Uk society and what people find acceptable.

Personally, it's not acceptable, it's not your property, it's not causing you an issue, therefore you can't just cut it down.

There's always been shitbags, and there always will be, but even as long as I've been in my role, they've changed, the attitude has changed, it's spreading from the very few people, poor attitudes and behaviours have become widespread across society. Personal responsibility is severely lacking, and not just the shitbags but people in general. 'It's not my fault', 'i did it because I have the right too' 'I deserve it', 'it's Brexits fault', It's because of the immigrants' etc etc etc.

In my early days, even among the shitbags, there was an element of personal responsibility, whilst it didn't stop them committing crime, when they got caught, they put their hands up and took what they had coming to them. If something wasn't acceptable and one of the shitbags took something or did something too far, they sorted it out between themselves. There used to be some sort of 'code'

Now there's very little of that. I guess I've been more exposed to this element of society than most and maybe that has very much tainted my view of society and UK as a whole? Buckle up, it's going to get a lot, lot worse.

[Noggin]

I didn't know the tree specifically, but I've seen it in films and photos forever. I recognise it as 'just' a tree but also as 'WOW - look at that image/tree/view'.

It's not just that a tree has been cut down in the wild. To me it's "Why The FUCK would anyone even think to do that" "Who the FUCK thinks its a great idea to saw down a huge and mature tree like that" "Why would anyone even contemplate cutting down a tree in the wild like that"

What Nordboy wrote above is more concise than whats been going through my head since I saw this thread -

Personal responsibility is severely lacking, and not just the shitbags but people in general. 'It's not my fault', 'i did it because I have the right too' 'I deserve it', 'it's Brexits fault', It's because of the immigrants' etc etc etc.

It's not a case of Why would they? It's a case of "Why the fuck not, I can and so I will, who cares"


And, as it's in the wild, there's no reason for someone near it to cut it down cos it shits on their car!!


It just makes me very very sad that a part of society thinks this is ok and that it 'just' a tree

[demographic]

I can't be fucked reading the whole thread so if someone has already mentioned it then I'll no doubt get a wiseass reply but...

Sycamore coppices... so it might well just grow back from round its base. Coppiced (and pollarded) trees generally live longer then non coppiced trees so this young chap might have actually extended the trees lifespan. Maybe. Symbol of rebirth and all that.

Ive walked past that tree, can't remember for sure but I think theres a farm fairly close and a 16 year old isn't allowed to drive a car. Chainsaws aren't the nicest things to carry on a moped so my guess is that the 16 year old is a local.
Maybe cheesed off with all the tourists?

[Count Steer]

This isn't the Brexit I voted for.

Made me laugh when I was checking how many '000 years ago we split off from the main land mass (not as long as I thought) and the article referred to the final demise of the land bridge as 'Brexit 1.0'.

As an aside on non-indigenous species, a couple of days ago I was contemplating playing Pooh sticks on a footbridge in the new country park and realised there were some pretty big crayfish roaming around in the stream. White-ish patches on the claw 'knuckles' so they're signal crayfish (named after railway signalmen who used bat things with white on to signal to trains dontcha know).

Introduced from the USA when the native ones were disappearing due to crayfish plague. Oops. Signal crayfish carry the disease and are resistant to it. That helped reduce the (better tasting) natives even further. Now we have an infestation problem (not in Ireland though). Genius.

Add that to grey squirrels, cane toads (Aus), Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed.......

[MrLongbeard]

a 16 year old isn't allowed to drive a car. Chainsaws aren't the nicest things to carry on a moped so my guess is that the 16 year old is a local.

But they can drive tractors on the road, still most likely to be local mind

[v8-powered]

Ive walked past that tree, can't remember for sure but I think theres a farm fairly close and a 16 year old isn't allowed to drive a car. Chainsaws aren't the nicest things to carry on a moped so my guess is that the 16 year old is a local.
Maybe cheesed off with all the tourists?

Word on the street is that a local landowner is pissed off (understandably) with tourists parking on his land, what's the betting a relative who is at an age where prosecution is difficult?

[Taipan]

I can't be fucked reading the whole thread so if someone has already mentioned it then I'll no doubt get a wiseass reply but...

Sycamore coppices... so it might well just grow back from round its base. Coppiced (and pollarded) trees generally live longer then non coppiced trees so this young chap might have actually extended the trees lifespan. Maybe. Symbol of rebirth and all that.

Ive walked past that tree, can't remember for sure but I think theres a farm fairly close and a 16 year old isn't allowed to drive a car. Chainsaws aren't the nicest things to carry on a moped so my guess is that the 16 year old is a local.
Maybe cheesed off with all the tourists?

According to the news its already sprouting!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

According to the news its already sprouting!

Sprouts for Xmas?

[Taipan]

According to the news its already sprouting!

Sprouts for Xmas?

Not this one as they should be on by now...

[Dodgy69]

I don't think it matters that it is a tree, its a tourist attraction. A statue, monument or post box, its been pinched, but the stump will attract more tourist probably, with all the publicity its getting.

May backfire on whoever was being it.

Trees don't matter anymore, fast trains matter.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't think it matters that it is a tree, its a tourist attraction. A statue, monument or post box, its been pinched, but the stump will attract more tourist probably, with all the publicity its getting.

May backfire on whoever was being it.

Trees don't matter anymore, fast trains matter.

Who's stolen it, the tree was still there, who did the tree belong to, whose land was it on, why is it a tourist attraction, if it's a tourist attraction would the land owner be entitled to charge for access to the tree, couldn't people visit a more interesting tree?
Should Special Branch investigate, would they get to the root of the matter?

[Nordboy]

I don't think it matters that it is a tree, its a tourist attraction. A statue, monument or post box, its been pinched, but the stump will attract more tourist probably, with all the publicity its getting.

May backfire on whoever was being it.

Trees don't matter anymore, fast trains matter.

Who's stolen it, the tree was still there, who did the tree belong to, whose land was it on, why is it a tourist attraction, if it's a tourist attraction would the land owner be entitled to charge for access to the tree, couldn't people visit a more interesting tree?

As the tree was on National Trust land, my guess is that they are the owners? Wouldn't you say that things that grow on your land are owned by you? Or would you be happy for people to come to your property and chop any plants or trees down? Or even damage your property?

The National Trust are a charity, they potentially could charge for access, but they ask for donations or subscriptions instead as they would like everyone to be able to enjoy the area, not just entitled little shits with a chainsaw.

[Yorick]

I wonder who legally owns the tree?

Is it on private or public land?