The famed Sherwood Forest oak long associated with Robin Hood has died after failing to grow new leaves, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said. Believed to be about 1,200 years old, the tree stood 28 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 11 meters, making it one of Britain’s largest and most celebrated trees.
The tree had been propped with cables and supports since the early 1900s and fenced off in the 1970s, reflecting its status as a landmark. RSPB officials, who manage Sherwood Forest, said a combination of hot, dry British summers and soil compaction from the many visitors over the past 200 years likely contributed to its decline by making it harder for rain to reach the roots.
Robert Brackley, a guide who has shown thousands of schoolchildren the tree while dressed as an outlaw with bow and arrows, said, “The stories it gave us are its legacy. This is the most famous tree in the world. The legend always lives on. I feel sadness, but this is a fleeting moment in time. We must remember how the tree was and continue to stand before it in awe.”
Holly Drake of the RSPB called the loss “heartbreaking for everyone,” while Ed Faine of Woodland Trust said ancient trees like the Robin Hood oak are “the white rhinos of Britain’s conservation” because they disappear quietly without the attention they deserve. Drake said the tree, which got its Robin Hood name after being mentioned in a 1790 book on oak trees by Major Hayman Rooke, will remain a natural monument in Sherwood Forest and keep supporting the forest ecosystem, even in death. Sherwood is also known for ancient oaks that once supplied timber for Royal Navy ships under Horatio Nelson and for beams in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
