SHERWOOD FOREST — The Major Oak, a tree located in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, has died after it did not produce leaves or buds in 2024. The tree, estimated to be 1,000 years old, will remain standing as a habitat for wildlife.

Conservationists identified climate stress, soil damage, and centuries of human impact as contributing factors to the tree's death. Reg Harris, an arborist, said, "The range of factors affecting it over such a long period of time is very wide and varied, including 200 years of tourist footfall and vehicular compaction, changes to the water table from coal mining beneath it and significant changes to the climate."

The tree experienced stress from hot, dry summers, including a July 2022 heatwave that saw temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius in Britain. Underground tests conducted on the tree revealed a damaged root system within nutrient-poor soil that lacked microbial life. Workers excavated around the tree's roots over three consecutive winters to aerate and feed them. Simon Parfey, managing director of SoilBioLab, said, "While the Major Oak team worked to revive the environment around this tree and saw encouraging signs of life in some areas, the damage was already too deeply entrenched to fully reverse."

The tree also faced impact from its 350,000 annual visitors and its historical use as a military camp, which led to soil compaction. In the 1960s, hollow sections of the tree were filled with concrete, limbs were clad with lead and fiberglass, and the wood was treated with fire-retardant paint. Props and metal chains were installed in 1904 to support the tree's branches. In the 1970s, a protective barrier was placed around the tree.

Chloe Ryder, an estates operations manager, said, "The props probably impacted its ability to sustain itself." The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which has managed the Sherwood Forest site of special scientific interest since 2018, confirmed the tree would remain in place. Hollie Drake, a senior site manager, said, "The Major Oak will continue to stand at the heart of Sherwood as a natural monument for visitors to come and see, living on in the legend of Robin Hood and continuing to provide as much support to the forest's ecosystem in death as in life."

The tree had a trunk circumference of 11 meters and a canopy spread of 28 meters. Local historian Maj Hayman Rooke described the tree in 1790, and it was subsequently named in his honor. Acorns and cuttings from the tree have been planted in various locations worldwide, including the Winfield House residence in London.