An ancient oak tree linked to the legend of Robin Hood is thought to have died after its first spring with no leaves, experts have said.
The Major Oak in the heart of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is thought to be up to 1,200 years old.
But it has been in decline for some years, according to the RSPB, which manages the woodland.
The conservation charity said the tree had been affected by factors including a century of ‘well-intentioned’ structural interventions, large numbers of people visiting the tree, and recent climate change-driven heatwaves and droughts.
The soil around the tree has become heavily compacted from the footfall of millions of visitors over the years, making it harder for rain to penetrate and for the root system to take up the nutrients it needs.
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Some recent testing has shown the soil was as hard as concrete in some spots.
These factors have compounded the challenges the tree would naturally be facing at its age, said scientists.
The tree, which is said to have sheltered the legendary outlaw Robin Hood, will remain standing in the forest as a monument for people and wildlife, the RSPB said.
Hollie Drake, senior site manager at RSPB Sherwood Forest, said the tree’s failure to produce leaves this year was ‘heartbreaking for everyone’.
She added: ‘We know the Major Oak will have a lasting legacy, first and foremost because it is so inextricably linked to Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest.
‘But beyond its cultural heritage, the Major Oak will continue to provide important habitat for wildlife, reminding us why these remarkable trees are so important and why protecting them for the future matters.’
The Major Oak won the Woodland Trust’s annual tree of the year competition in 2014, and was the first to be recorded on the charity’s ancient tree inventory.
Ed Pyne, senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust, called for stronger legal protections for ancient woods and trees.
He said: ‘Excessive tourism in Victorian times compacted the soil around the Major Oak’s roots, causing damage that could never fully be reversed.
‘Its decline is a warning – the way we treat ancient trees today will shape whether they survive for future generations.’
The Major Oak has been alive since the Norman conquest and continued to grow while other Sherwood oaks were used to raise the roof of St Paul’s Cathedral, fuel the Industrial Revolution, and build Nelson’s navy.
Its name stuck after the tree was mentioned in a book by Major Hayman Rooke in 1790, which started the first significant waves of tourism to the forest, drawing millions over the next two centuries.
For years, visitors were able to walk right up to the tree and even climb into its large hollow trunk, but the area around the tree was fenced in the 1970s, and it has since been viewed at a distance.
The death of the tree is ‘devastating to accept’, but the knowledge that has been gained from monitoring and surveying it will help shape how to protect other ancient and veteran trees in Sherwood Forest and beyond, Chloe Ryder, the RSPB’s estate operations manager at Sherwood Forest, said.
Acorns and cuttings have been grown from the tree, and saplings from the oak have been planted in locations around the world, she said, ‘so we are planning work to ensure that its offspring will grow and generate their own acorns – and legends – for centuries to come’.
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