Why a felled oak tree could be London's Sycamore Gap
Enfield Council has reported the 'criminal' felling of an ancient oak tree in London 's Whitewebbs Wood to the police, prompting an investigation.
The felled oak tree, estimated to be up to 500 years old, is considered to have significant ecological value due to its age, surpassing that of the Sycamore Gap tree which was estimated to be about 200 years old.
Lawrence-Thor Stephen, CEO of Thor's Trees, described the April 3 felling as 'a loss for the nation', as ancient trees support thousands of species.
The tree, a pedunculate oak (quercus robur) with a girth of 6.1m, is officially verified on the Woodland Trust 's Ancient Tree Inventory.
Council leader Ergin Erbil said that the council is treating the felling as criminal damage and a tree preservation order has been put in place to prevent any further damage.
'Loss for the nation': Is this ancient, felled oak tree London's Sycamore Gap?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Project coaxes purple butterfly as big as your palm into Derbyshire
A "conservation success story" has seen a British butterfly species coaxed in to a new purple emperor is a relatively common sight in the south of England but until last summer was previously unrecorded in planting of sallow trees in shaded spots close to the oak woodlands the species inhabits in the county since 2023 encouraged two sightings, in Bretby and Aston-on-Trent, in a further record of the purple emperor basking on a driveway in Ticknall on Wednesday means the butterfly is "100% going to establish" locally, according to Derbyshire recorder for charity Butterfly Conservation Ken Orpe. Mr Orpe, who was awarded a Green Apple environmental award for his work encouraging landowners to create caterpillar habitats including at Kedleston and Hardwick estates, said the species had been noted expanding north from Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and most recently Leicestershire due to climate said: "We thought if we can get some sallows, which is the food plant of the caterpillar, planted, it might just entice it into our beloved county." Purple emperor males can be the size of a small bird, says the Woodland Trust, and have an iridescent purple sheen to their wings, while the females are smaller and brown in enthusiasts call the species "His Majesty" said the trust, and Mr Orpe added in Victorian times spotters would "go crazy" for sighting them can prove tough, as when mature in late June to August, the males prefer to congregate on the tops of oak trees waiting for females to pass Orpe said: "They're absolutely brilliant, quite large, as big as the palm of your hand, and when the sun shines on the male it's a beautiful purple sheen on the wings."It's really good news that they've reached Derbyshire. I used to have to go to Wiltshire or Hampshire to see them, that was 20 years ago, but now they've come to see us."
Daily Mirror
15-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Tragic last photo of newlywed Brit with mum before doomed Air India flight
Brit Lawrence Daniel Christian, 26, took a heartbreaking final photo with his mum outside the airport before he boarded the doomed Air India flight that took his life A recently married British man, who travelled to India after his dad died, posed for a heartbreaking final photo before he boarded the doomed Air India flight. Lawrence Daniel Christian, 26, took a picture with his mum, Raveena, outside Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday just before he boarded the aircraft bound for Gatwick Airport. 241 passengers onboard were killed when the plane tragically crashed and fireballed into a medical college hostel just minutes after take off. Only one passenger unbelievably walked away from the tragedy alive, as at least 270 bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far. Lawrence had boarded the Boeing Dreamliner to go back to his home in London, where he lived with his newlywed wife. His aunt, who was not named, spoke to local media and said: "We tried calling him repeatedly after seeing the news. "We rushed to the plane crash site and saw the plane completely destroyed. We lost Lawrence Christian in this crash, just days after we lost his father." A family friend in the UK said his widow was heartbroken by the tragedy. The friend said: "She keeps saying this must be a mistake." It is believed Lawrence had lived in the UK for around 18 months before his tragic death. This horrific tragedy has also left two young British girls orphaned after their dad, who had travelled to India to scatter his late wife's ashes, died on the flight. Arjun Patolia had been visiting the north Indian city of Amreli to fulfil his wife's final wish and scatter her ashes in a local river. His wife Bharati had died just seven days earlier in London and the air disaster has left their eight and a four year old daughters, who are living in London, without parents. An "angel" NHS nurse working in a UK hospital was also named as a victim on the tragic flight. Renjitha Gopakumaran, who was working at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, had been returning to the UK after a holiday to see family in her home country. Her colleagues at the NHS hospital paid tribute to the mother and said she was a "beautiful lady" who showed her patients and co-workers "so much love and care". Renjitha, said to be in her 40s, "had the biggest heart and brightest smile", one colleague said. She reportedly had two children in India and was in the UK completing her degree as part of a five-year sabbatical. The deadly crash also killed several people on the ground. At least eight deaths have been confirmed, and authorities in Ahmedabad said four of those victims were medical students living in one of the buildings into which the plane crashed.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- BBC News
UK wildlife numbers are falling despite increase in number of trees
Wildlife numbers in the UK are falling despite a small increase in the number of trees, a new report says. The findings, published by charity the Woodland Trust, show both the quantity and variety of wildlife is going down That's despite a rise in woodland cover, which describes how much of a particular area of land is covered by trees. The conservation charity says the UK needs to improve the condition and scale of its woodlands to tackle wildlife loss. The Woodland Trust says the decline of wildlife is down to the fall in the biodiversity woodlands have seen over time. Biodiversity is all about the variety of plants, animals and other living things found in a specific environment or place. Butterflies, woodland birds, dormice and lots of different plant species have all seen a significant fall in their numbers over the years, according to the report. Ancient and veteran trees, which are really important for wildlife because of their unique characteristics which provide food and places for animals and organisms to live, have also seen a fall in numbers. "UK woodlands lack open spaces, such as glades, which allow light to reach the forest floor and young trees to grow," said Abigail Bunker who is the director of conservation and external affairs at the Woodland Trust. "There are also fewer older trees, which, along with their soils, lock in carbon from the atmosphere. Alarmingly, many British woodlands have very few - if any - ancient and veteran trees left."While woodland cover increased from 13.2% of UK land in 2020 to 13.5% in 2024, the report says just 45% of the government's targets for increased woodland was met over those four also points to recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to increase the number of trees in the UK as part of government plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to also tackle climate change. What else is in the report? The Woodland Trust's report also highlights the impact woodlands have on wellbeing and communities, with nine in 10 people agreeing woodland biodiversity has a positive impact through things like birdsong or the sound of rustling leaves, according to a poll. "We are calling on the government and others to invest in the management of our woodlands, so that people and wildlife can experience the benefits of these precious ecosystems..." said Ms Bunker. "It's also vital that the government start hitting their tree-planting targets, so that there is time to grow the veteran trees of the future and help shape woodlands to better withstand challenges like new diseases, or rising temperatures."The government's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said, "Trees are really important for helping the planet and for protecting animals and nature."We are spending £400 million to plant more trees and are working hard to take care of our woodlands so they can help all types of wildlife."
