Second man arrested over felling of much-loved tree close to Hadrian’s Wall

LONDON (AP) — British police on Friday made their second arrest over the reducing down of a 300-year-old tree close to the Roman landmark of Hadrian’s Wall within the northeast of England.

Hours after a 16-year-old was freed on bail, Northumbria Police mentioned a person in his 60s was arrested and is being questioned in custody.

“The mindless destruction of what’s undoubtedly a world-renowned landmark, and a neighborhood treasure, has fairly rightly resulted in an outpouring of shock, horror and anger all through the North East and additional afield,” Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney-Menzies mentioned:

“I hope this second arrest demonstrates simply how critically we’re taking this example, and our ongoing dedication to search out these accountable and produce them to justice,” she added.

The 16-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of prison injury after the tree was destroyed in a single day.

Why anybody would need to lower down considered one of England’s most iconic bushes has left folks throughout the U.Okay. baffled and offended.

Robert Macfarlane, a famend nature author, mentioned he was “sick to the core” to listen to the information concerning the tree, which was “recognized and beloved by tens of millions.”

“I simply see this as a part of a chunk with a much wider hostile setting in the direction of the residing world on this nation,” he advised BBC radio. “It was a tree that ashes have been scattered below, marriages have been made below, and it was a shelter for drained walkers.”

Macfarlane mentioned he was buoyed by the widespread disgust that adopted information of the tree’s felling and urged {that a} new forest be planted in its honor.

Following centuries of industrialization and urbanization, Britain is taken into account to be some of the deforested nations in Europe.

The tree was one of many foremost landmarks alongside Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Website constructed almost 2,000 years in the past when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire to protect its northwestern frontier.

For generations, walkers have paused to admire and {photograph} the tree at Sycamore Hole, which was made well-known when it appeared in Kevin Costner’s 1991 movie “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.”

The Nationwide Belief, which for greater than 125 years has sought to guard England’s heritage and pure landscapes, mentioned it’s at the moment “making the location protected, and serving to employees and the neighborhood come to phrases with the information.”

The tree, which was lower down close to the bottom of its trunk, might develop once more, specialists mentioned, although they cautioned that it will by no means be the identical.

“It’s value a attempt however I feel livestock and wildlife will probably injury it as effectively,” mentioned Rob Ternent, head gardener at The Alnwick Backyard close by. “It’ll be very tough to get it again to the unique tree.”

Ternent mentioned that the primary shoots of restoration might begin to seem within the spring, and the tree might get to be about 8 ft (2.4 meters) tall, although it is going to be bushy.

“It was about 300 years previous, so it’ll take a very long time to get again to that measurement,” he added.