Goodness me I have been neglecting my poor blog again, haven’t I? I do enjoy writing on here but sometimes there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day and so I’ve been prioritising either going for a walk or just relaxing. I’ve still been thinking about things to write so I’ll probably suddenly bombard you with a load of posts all at once!
Anyway the reason for returning today is to say that I’m still struggling with getting my head around the felling of Sycamore Gap. It’s not a tree I was ever fortunate enough to visit or was even really aware of if I’m honest however I still felt deeply saddened by the news. Actually initially I was angry but as time went on and I tried to make sense of it, anger turned to sadness. Partly a selfish sadness as I will never get to visit this beautiful tree but more than that I felt sad for the people in the North-East who viewed the tree as their symbol or simply enjoying spending time with it. I also feel sad for whoever committed this atrocity. Surely there has to be something missing from your life if when faced with such beauty, instead of cherishing the moment you decide to chop the tree down? Also it must have taken a while to cut it down, which means not only was it premeditated but they must have had plenty of opportunities to change their mind and to stop what they were doing and yet they carried on.
Whether it was a prank, a protest or a form of attention-seeking I’m not sure we’ll ever find an answer or certainly not one that makes any kind of sense. So what happens next? On a practical level it sounds like they may be able to coppice the area so that another tree may grow in the same spot, although it will be about 200 years before it reaches the stature of its predecessor. But as a nation what can we do to stop this from ever happening again? While it may be tempting to say we need to protect these landmarks by putting barriers up, I think this will ultimately make things worse. If anything this is a reminder that we need to improve access to nature for everyone.
It seems the country is becoming increasingly divided – left/right, remain/leave, have/have not – but nature should not be an either or subject. Everyone should have access to nature, ideally to parks but even an increase in urban trees and green spaces is shown to have a positive effect on the area. Perhaps if the perpetrators had had greater access to nature and had felt the benefits for themselves they might have thought twice about committing this act.
It’s another of those occasions when something major happens and as individuals we’re left feeling bamboozled and helpless. The bigger questions of how we stop this happening again will ultimately be decided by those in power but I think there are still things we can all do to help. I’ve loved seeing how the tree at Sycamore Gap inspired photographers, poets and painters and by continuing to enjoy and share their work we can show the powers that be that we will not forget this tree and this cannot be allowed to happen again. I’ve also signed the Woodland Trust’s petition to Protect our Living Legends, if we all sign and share then action will have to happen.
Finally we can continue to enjoy and cherish our local trees, don’t worry I’m not asking you to physically go hug a tree but perhaps mentally hug one. The next time you go for a walk, take a moment to appreciate the trees, perhaps pause and take a few deep breathes as you acknowledge the positive influence they’ve had on you.
That’s how I stroll.
Image at the top of the page was sourced from UnSplash
Soothing Strolls 
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