Overview
- Conservationists confirmed the Major Oak has died after spring 2026 monitoring found no new leaves, ending the biological cycle of the tree long linked to the Robin Hood legend.
- RSPB investigators reported the root system was 'suffocated and starving' due to compacted soil from heavy visitor traffic, which reduced water and nutrient uptake.
- Experts say century-old support measures such as chains, braces and scaffolding, installed since 1908 and expanded in the 1970s, plus repeated heat and drought, likely sped the tree’s decline.
- The trunk will remain on site as a habitat-rich natural monument, and genetic continuity exists through acorns and cuttings grown into saplings that have been planted in the UK and abroad.
- The loss is prompting calls for stronger legal protection and changed site management to limit root damage and adapt conservation practices for other veteran trees facing tourism pressure and climate stress.