TWO men are facing long jail terms after being convicted of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree – an act of 'mindless thuggery' that caused disbelief around the world.

But the iconic 150-year-old tree that stood in a dip in the landscape of Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland will live on in the Wye Valley through a sapling grown from it, replanted beside the river at the Biblins campsite.

Former best friends Daniel Michael Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Wigton in Cumbria, both denied involvement, the former blaming the latter for the 'moronic mission'.

But both were convicted of two counts of criminal damage on Friday (May 9) after a week-long trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

No explanation was given for the September 2023 crime, but national media outlets have reported that local residents think it was a vendetta, after Graham was refused planning permission to build a house on nearby land and was facing eviction from a ramshackle caravan on the site.

The felling of the National Trust-owned tree – featured in 1991 blockbuster film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner, and beloved of thousands of walkers and sightseers – sent shockwaves around the world.

Film director Kevin Reynolds said: "I was just stunned. I was gutted. Then I was furious.

"Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall was one of the most quintessentially idyllic spots in the world and now it's gone, it's murdered, and for what reason?"

But although its loss is mourned worldwide, last November during National Tree Week, 49 beauty spots across the UK were selected from more than 500 applications to receive and plant a sapling grown from the tree – named 'Trees of Hope' – including the Biblins Youth Campsite between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye, run by the 100-year-old charity Woodcraft Folk.

Biblins Centre manager Michael Lawrence said at the time of the announcement: “Trees have been an important symbol in Woodcraft Folk’s 100-year history.

"The charity's nature and environment principles encourage understanding, enjoyment and protection of our environment both locally and globally amongst our young members.

“The arrival of the Sycamore Gap sapling represents hope and we can’t think of a more significant way to celebrate our centenary than planting the sapling as we look ahead to the future of the next 100 years of our youth work.”

Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian Wall properties, added: “Each and every application for a ‘Tree of Hope’ told heartfelt stories of people’s emotional connections to the Sycamore Gap tree and the importance of nature.

“They spoke of loss, hope and regeneration from all four corners of the country, it’s been a privilege to read them all.

“Each sapling will carry a message of hope with it as they start a new chapter, not just for the tree but for all the 49 people and communities that will receive a sapling.”

Each of the 49 saplings represents a foot in height of the original, and are being cared for by the National Trust's Plant Conservation Centre ahead of planting out next winter.