Off the Wall: A Sad End in Sherwood Forest
An ancient oak tree said to have sheltered legendary Robin Hood has died
An ancient oak tree said to have sheltered legendary Robin Hood has died
(This IS sad. I remember just a few years ago a tornado took out our local Famous tree, and it wasn’t near as old - DD)
(KARK) - A massive ancient oak tree linked to the legend of Robin Hood may have been loved to death.
The 1,200-year-old Major Oak in Sherwood Forest is believed to have died after it didn’t sprout leaves this spring, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said Thursday.
Visitors over the past two centuries who viewed the tree’s gnarled limbs and sprawling canopy in Nottingham compressed the soil, making it difficult for rain to reach its roots, the conservation group said.
The forest has been under threat for years and the tree had been rumored to have died in the past — only to have the group confirm it was still alive.
That is no longer the case.
“The tree’s failure to produce leaves this year is heartbreaking for everyone,” Hollie Drake of the RSPB said in a statement announcing the death.
The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.
It got its name after being mentioned in a book on…