Charities back MP's 'iconic' tree bill

Charities have backed an MP's calls to create a list of "iconic" trees and improve schooling about their value following the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree.

Labour MP for Hexham Joe Morris tabled the bill on iconic trees and nature education on Monday.

He said the register, which could include popular trees such as the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, would help young people to better understand their importance.

Education charity Wilderness Foundation UK head Jo Roberts backed the bill and said: "That's why we we've got to do more reverence now so that we don't have another Sycamore Gap."

The tree, at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, which was more than 100 years old, was felled in September 2023 by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers. Both men, from Cumbria, were jailed for four years and three months.

Ms Roberts said that trees were like the "cathedrals of nature" and that it was only right we held some in the same awe that we placed on certain buildings.

"We don't take the time to really notice trees until they are gone," she said. "I think there's something to giving [some trees] status [in a way that] I think people will be able to appreciate and feel part of."

Other trees Morris suggested could be part of the list included the Ankerwycke yew near Wraysbury in Berkshire, which is linked to the signing of the Magna Carta.

Education charity Wild Things head Luke Strachan also backed the bill which includes improving the way pupils are taught about the value of trees.

"With the increasing prevalence of digital media and online culture, younger generations need, more than ever, to have opportunities to rebuild their relationship to the natural environment," he said.

Outdoor learning charity Learning Through Landscapes official Hannah Engelkamp said she hoped the tree register would be used by teachers to discuss "local pride" and the "personality and validity of species that aren't human".

But she also said that ordinary trees should not be overlooked, noting that 17% of primary schools in Scotland had fewer than five trees on their grounds.

"Children really care about these everyday, un-iconic trees, and we want to see an improvement at this level," she said.

"Nature mustn't be an special, distant, 'over-there' thing for the fortunate few to visit, but a daily part of every child's learning and play."

The second reading of the bill is due on 16 January.

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