Legendary Major Oak tree may have been loved to death by visitors
The Major Oak has seen its first spring with no leaves (PA)
The legendary Major Oak, a 1,200-year-old tree in Sherwood Forest famously linked to Robin Hood, has died.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) confirmed the ancient oak failed to sprout leaves this spring.
Its death is attributed to centuries of soil compaction by millions of visitors, which prevented rain from reaching its roots, alongside the impacts of climate change, including heatwaves and drought.
Tree experts found the root system was strangled and starved, despite past interventions to shore up its massive limbs and protection by a fence since the 1970s.
The Major Oak will remain a natural monument in Sherwood Forest, continuing to stand as part of the Robin Hood legend and supporting the forest’s ecosystem in death.
