Sycamore Gap tree removed from Hadrian’s Wall to be seasoned and reused

A team of workers use chainsaws to cut the sycamore tree into manageable sections to be transported to a truck. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Some saw the day as a chance to say farewell. One person described the event as a “full stop” to the saga. But as the criminally felled, world-famous Sycamore Gap tree was carefully removed from its home on Hadrian’s Wall, people also spoke of hope, optimism and rebirth.

“The irony of this criminal act is that we have reset the clock on this tree now,” said Andrew Poad, the National Trust’s general manager of the site. “In forestry terms, it has been coppiced and it will regrow.”