England Mourns Legendary Robin Hood Tree

Visitors to Sherwood Forest will still find the tree said to have sheltered Robin Hood and his Merry Men—but the 1,200-year-old giant itself is now dead. The famed Nottinghamshire oak known as the Major Oak, one of Europe's oldest trees, failed to produce leaves this year, and experts say a mix of climate stress, compaction from centuries of foot traffic, past "support" work, and a changing water table finally overwhelmed it, per the Guardian. Heatwaves, especially 2022's record spike to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, are believed to have played a major role.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which took over management in 2018, tried to revive the tree's starved root system by improving soil health, but the oak produced almost no foliage last year and none this spring—a "heartbreaking" outcome, the RSPB said, per the AP. Despite its death, conservationists will leave the colossal trunk and branches in place, noting that old deadwood provides critical habitat for forest species. The Major Oak—once propped up with metal supports, packed with concrete, and ringed by barriers to shield it from its 350,000 annual visitors—will now serve as what one expert called a "living museum" of lessons on how England treats its ancient trees, and how unprotected many of them remain.