Major Oak in Sherwood Forest Dies After Failing to Leaf in Spring 2024

The 1,200-year-old Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, did not produce leaves this spring and has died, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds announced Thursday. Hollie Drake of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said the tree's failure to produce leaves this year is heartbreaking for everyone.

The group stated that the tree and the soil beneath it will remain a refuge for wildlife.

Visitors over the past two centuries compressed the soil around the Major Oak, preventing rain from reaching its roots even after the immediate area was fenced off. Tree experts found the root system strangled and starved. Cables and poles had been installed to support the Major Oak's massive limbs.

The tree had been protected by a fence since the 1970s. Climate change that brought heat waves and drought also contributed to the tree's death, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The Major Oak received its name after Major Hayman Rooke mentioned it in a 1790 book on oak trees.

It is linked in legend to Robin Hood, who is said to have used the tree as a hideout. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said plans are being drawn up with partners regarding the tree's saplings. Hollie Drake stated the tree will continue as a monument that people can visit and will support the forest's ecosystem in death as it did in life.