MP proposes protection plan for historic trees
An iconic tree register has been suggested after Sycamore Gap crime case.
Last updated 3rd Dec 2025
A Labour MP is calling for a new legal register to protect historic and culturally significant trees across the UK.
Joe Morris, MP for Hexham, nominated several trees for enhanced protections, including Surrey’s Crowhurst Yew, which is thought to be around 4,000 years old, and the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire. He also included Berkshire’s Ankerwycke Yew, linked to the signing of the Magna Carta.
His proposal follows the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in his constituency earlier this year, an act he described as feeling "like an attack."
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Morris said: "Trees are not 'just trees'. Our planet is intrinsically dependent upon them – they are vital to sustaining our planet, cleaning our air, supporting our biodiversity and our ecosystems."
In his call for an Iconic Trees register, he highlighted trees’ cultural and symbolic significance, referencing their presence in mythology and literature like the Chronicles of Narnia.
The MP introduced the Iconic Trees and Nature Education Bill, which seeks to protect trees holding widely recognised cultural, historical, ecological or symbolic value.
The Sycamore Gap tree, which stood for over 100 years next to Hadrian’s Wall, was illegally felled in September 2023, causing criminal damage to the ancient monument. The men responsible, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, were sent to prison for four years and three months each in the summer.
The Iconic Trees and Nature Education Bill will be discussed further in parliament with a second reading scheduled for 16 January 2026.