A vast ancient oak tree linked to the legend of Robin Hood is thought to have died after its first spring with no leaves, experts have said.
The Major Oak in the heart of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is thought to be up to 1,200 years old, but has been in decline for some years, according to the RSPB, which manages the woodland.
The conservation charity said the tree had been affected by factors including a century of “well-intentioned” structural intervention, huge numbers of historical visitors around the tree, and recent climate change-driven heatwaves and droughts.
The soil around the tree has become heavily compacted from the footfall of millions of visitors in the past, making it harder for rain to penetrate the soil and for the root system to take in the nutrients it needs, with recent testing showing the soil to be as solid as concrete in some spots.
These factors have compounded the challenges it would be naturally facing at its age, said scientists who have concluded it has died after it failed to produce any leaves this spring.
The tree, which is famous around the world for stories of it sheltering legendary outlaw Robin Hood, will remain standing in the forest as a monument for people and wildlife, the RSPB said.
Hollie Drake, senior site manager at RSPB Sherwood Forest, said the tree’s failure to produce leaves this year was “heartbreaking for everyone”.
But she said: “We know the Major Oak will have a lasting legacy, first and foremost because it is so inextricably linked to Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest.
“But beyond its cultural heritage, the Major Oak will continue to provide important habitat for wildlife, reminding us why these remarkable trees are so important and why protecting them for the future matters. ”
The Major Oak won the Woodland Trust’s annual tree of the year competition in 2014, and was the first to be recorded on the charity’s ancient tree inventory – but the trust said recording trees would not “halt their catastrophic decline”.
Ed Pyne, senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust called for stronger legal protections for ancient woods and trees.
He said: “Excessive tourism in Victorian times compacted the soil around the Major Oak’s roots, causing damage that could never fully be reversed.
“Its decline is a warning – the way we treat ancient trees today will shape whether they survive for future generations.”
The Major Oak has been alive since the Norman conquest and continued to grow while other Sherwood oaks were used to raise the roof of St Paul’s Cathedral, fuel the industrial revolution and build Nelson’s navy.
Its name stuck after the tree was mentioned in a book by Major Hayman Rooke in 1790, which started the first significant waves of tourism to the forest, drawing millions over the next two centuries.
Supports for some of its sprawling branches, in place since the early 20th century, are among the “well-intentioned” human interventions that are thought to have contributed to its decline.
For years, visitors were able to walk right up to the tree and even climb into its large hollowing trunk, but the area around the tree was fenced in the 1970s, and it has since been viewed at a distance.
Chloe Ryder, the RSPB’s estate operations manager at Sherwood Forest, said: “Previous surveys of the tree have shown concerning declines in its vitality over the past few decades, which is easily recognised in the appearance of the famous leafy silhouette.
“Recent years’ surveys have focused on what’s happening underground, and what we discovered was a surprising and grave situation; a strangled and starved root system in total disconnect to its surrounding environment, and a need to act much more urgently and innovatively than we ever anticipated if we were to reverse the fortunes of this natural wonder,” she said.
The death of the tree is “devastating to accept”, but the knowledge that has been gained from monitoring and surveying it will help shape how to protect other ancient and veteran trees in Sherwood Forest and beyond, she said.
Acorns and cuttings have been grown from the tree, and saplings from the oak have been planted in locations around the world, she said, “so we are planning work to ensure that its offspring will grow and generate their own acorns – and legends – for centuries to come”.
Simon Parfey, managing director of SoilBioLab, specialists in soil microbiology testing and part of the team caring for the oak since 2021, said surveys revealed the root system had been “quietly struggling for a long time” due to naturally poor soil and heavy ground compaction.
Despite efforts to revive the environment around the tree, it appears the damage was “already too deeply entrenched to fully reverse”, he said.
Reg Harris, director of Urban Forestry (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd, who has been monitoring the leaf canopy of the oak for the past nine years, added the most recent decline has corresponded with five hot, “droughty” years – including July 2022 when temperatures hit record highs above 40C.
While the tree’s demise had a range of factors, he said: “Sadly, it seems probable the lack of summer rainfall over the last five years, coupled with the unprecedented high temperatures, have had a significant hand in it.”
Read MoreAI and digital tech used to chart climate impact and extinction risk for plants
Climate crisis is changing when plants flower, artificial intelligence study finds
Scientists find success with AI weather forecasts but what about the ‘unprecedented’?
Slowing in reduction of climate emissions disappointing – Climate Secretary
What storing beauty products in plastic does to your health
Bison settle into new home in Cumbria in scheme to create wildlife-rich habitat
