[amiga386]

Can I just say this: BASTARD.

What kind of bastard destroys such a thing of natural beauty?

This bastard is not alone, there are other bastards out there. For example, Sheffield council: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/06/sheffield-ci...

and Plymouth council: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-64961358

and this guy: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/19660776.northwood-ma...

and especially this guy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65890748

[rubylark]

I am surprised how weirdly common it is. Something similar happened nearish me as well:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/midwest/ct-madison-arboretum-...

[amiga386]

Update: BASTARDS. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66966187

[jibbit]

Hs2 needlessly cut down thousands of ancient oaks

[helsinkiandrew]

> Hs2 needlessly cut down thousands of ancient oaks

That depends whether you agree that HS2 is justified. HS2 would argue that the loss to humanity/UK of cutting down those ancient oaks is worth it due to the benefits of HS2.

Whereas cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree benefited no one.

[jibbit]

I don’t think there are any benefits, it’s cancelled (or about to be)

[stephen_g]

Nonsense, it's not cancelled and cancelling it would be absolutely ridiculous... HS2 is pretty critical in creating capacity since the WCML is basically at full capacity. HS2 is important for taking long distance passenger trains off the WCML to allow that to be used for more freight and shorter distance regional trips.

[appplication]

What is the meaning of all of this? Is this just anti-social behavior seeping into city councils? Is there some political motive here?

[pvaldes]

"If you want to destroy the spirit of a country don't kill its people, burn its forests, fell the trees, and destroy its prized cultural artifacts"

The oldest trick in the book of war

[pvaldes]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_T%C3%A9n%C3%A9r%C3%A9

[barbazoo]

Or, more likely, just a city council or urban planning department that doesn't care about nature conservation.

[pvaldes]

Wood thieves fall in a different category; Those are the worst offenders by number. Companies or local goverments stealing trees from public parks has became a too common activity since the austericide. Very profitable also; most people don't understand that plants have a big economical value just as raw materials. But is not this case; nobody tried to remove the wood.

Revenge is a fact. Some protected very old oaks had been killed in Spain after tourism to see them became too invasive. Probably not the same with the sycamore, but it could be a team of badly advised locals, for sure.

The fact is that there is a global pattern in Europe and USA of manipulating rednecks and gullible people against nature. Social media is doing this all the time resulting in a lot of wildfires in Europe lately. Remote manipulation seems probable here.

[pvaldes]

This may be a plausible case of wood thievery IMAO. It shows a lot of the common "modus-operandi" patterns. 14th century old oak. UK. 2022

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-61977727

To be fair, sometimes is just well-meaning local authorities trying to avoid a perceived danger. Trees sometimes fall over people. Sometimes is a mix of greed and fear. Public trees with useless wood are more often saved or left alone.

[Karellen]

If Sheffield City Council were at war with England, that might make sense. Are you suggesting that is the case?

Or, if not, and destroying the spirit of the country is the tactic, what is the goal they are trying to accomplish with it?

[TheHappyOddish]

What confusing grammar.

[moritonal]

In almost every case it's because the tree's are stopping a guy from making some money. It's that simple.