Legendary Major Oak tree may have been loved to death by visitors

• 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.

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Robin Hood’s 1,200-year-old Major Oak has died: ‘Heartbreaking for everyone’