British police recently arrested a 16-year-old boy and a 60-year-old man on suspicion of cutting down a legendary centuries-old tree. We used ChatGPT to detail what caused the dramatic move.
On Thursday, a photo was shared on a Reddit forum showing that the giant maple tree in Sycamore Gap in the UK had been cut down. The tree in question was planted as a sentinel adjacent to Hadrian's Wall in a kind of small valley between two hills at the beginning of the 18th century, which means that it was about 300 years old. During this time, he managed to become a legend, appearing in Robin Hood: Prince of Bandits in 1991 (about two and a quarter minutes after the beginning of the combined video) and winning Britain's "Tree of the Year" award in 2016.
The tree's legendary status led to outrage over its cutting, including offering a local pub reward to anyone who would help find the logger. Northumberland County police quickly launched an investigation, which first led to the arrest of a 16-year-old minor suspected of committing the act, and then a 60-year-old man suspected of involvement. The excision was carried out using an electric saw, and in a manner that showed that the perpetrator had experience in such acts.
A 16 year old cut down the iconic tree at Sycamore Gap
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Tony Gates, chief executive of the Northumberland National Park Service, said: "Everyone is in shock. It's one of the most iconic landscapes in the country." However, a seedling planted by local residents in an attempt to promote landscape regeneration was removed by police. That's because it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so no changes – including one intended to preserve its heritage – are allowed to be made to it without permission.
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