300-year-old mulberry tree was cut down and left with only stumps, but has just been "reborn"

The Sycamore Gap sycamore tree, which is about 300 years old, is known to millions of people after appearing in the 1991 blockbuster "Robin Hood: The Prince of the Green Forest."

Along with the popularity of the movie, this ancient tree has also been nicknamed "Robin Hood tree" by fans. The tree is located next to Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans about 1,900 years ago. This work has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

After becoming more widely known, the sycamore tree became a symbol and a tourist attraction of Northumberland National Park in particular and the Northeast of England in general.

In 2016, the sycamore was listed as "Britain's Most Photographed Tree" and voted "Tree of the Year".

However, in September 2023, England was "shocked" when a 16-year-old boy secretly cut down the Sycamore Gap tree. When it was stolen, the Sycamore Gap tree was left with only its stump.

As the tree fell, a local gardener, Rachel Ryver, who was nearby, sprang into action. She climbed over the wall and approached the tree to collect young shoots with buds. This was the crucial “raw material” for grafting genetic copies.

Rachel said the air dries out very quickly and once the plant dies, the detached parts will quickly rot if not “rescued” quickly. A few hours later, Rachel was at the Hexham post office delivering a bag of cuttings and some seeds to the National Trust Heritage Centre.

Upon receiving the bag, biologist Chris Trimmer inspected the contents and cleaned the samples in five minutes. Half a day later, Chris had assembled 20 samples from what remained of the Sycamore Gap tree.

Chris grafted live shoots from a Sycamore Gap tree onto fresh roots from a similar tree. Meanwhile, the seeds were sown immediately. The seeds were carefully controlled in temperature and humidity to optimize germination.

National Trust experts are now looking after nine surviving grafted trees and 40-50 Sycamore Gap saplings. One shoot is already about 10cm long.

At the National Trust, the location of these saplings is kept secret to avoid the risk of them being vandalised.

In addition, a group of scientists are still waiting at the old stump to see if new shoots can be produced. It will take about 3 years to know the results.

If the stump fails to produce new shoots, a Sycamore Gap sapling currently being cared for by the National Trust will be planted in its place. The remaining saplings, depending on growing conditions, may be planted in schools or other public places.

A few varieties will still be kept at the National Trust.

Minh Hoa (reported by Tuoi Tre, Dan Tri)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/cay-sung-dau-300-tuoi-bi-don-chi-con-tro-goc-vua-duoc-tai-sinh-a653694.html