ANCIENT MAJOR OAK IN SHERWOOD FOREST HAS DIED

The Major Oak, an ancient tree that stood in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire for an estimated 1,200 years, has died according to experts. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which manages the forest, confirmed the tree's death after it failed to produce leaves during spring this year. The Major Oak was considered one of Britain's largest oak trees and attracted millions of visitors throughout its lifetime. The tree is linked to the legend of Robin Hood, who according to folklore used its hollow trunk as a hideout.

The exact cause of the oak's death remains difficult to determine, but the RSPB identified multiple contributing factors. Years of structural intervention and significant human activity around the tree compounded its natural decline. Climate change effects, including recent heatwaves and droughts, further stressed the ancient giant during its final years. The tree was named "Major" after Major Hayman Rooke, a former British Army soldier from Mansfield Woodhouse, mentioned it in a book published in 1790, which subsequently sparked tourism to Sherwood Forest.

The Major Oak will remain at Sherwood Forest as a wildlife habitat and natural monument. Saplings propagated from the tree have been distributed and planted across the world. Dame Judi Dench, patron and ambassador for the Woodland Trust, paid tribute to the oak, noting its role in inspiring countless stories, poems and paintings. Dench recently planted an oak sapling from Sherwood Forest in her garden alongside Woodland Trust CEO Darren Moorcroft.