Members of the public have been urged not to try to take branches from the felled Sycamore Gap tree as souvenirs. Some visitors have been caught by police attempting to take pieces of the tree, which belongs to the National Trust, from inside the police cordon.
Visitors have flocked to the site to say goodbye to the landmark, which stood for more than 300 years in a small valley alongside Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland before being found chopped down on Thursday morning.
A 16-year-old arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage was released on police bail on Friday.
Such is the emotional significance of the tree, a police officer at the scene said he had had to stop a number of people from disturbing the scene and trying to take large pieces home.
National Trust rangers also collected painted rocks and sentimental items that had been left in memory of loved ones, after receiving calls from worried families who had placed them there while the tree was still standing.
The items, including a pink painted rock reading “Miss you mum xxxx”, were picked up from the base of the tree by staff who said they wanted to protect them from being stolen over the weekend, when large groups of people are likely to pay a visit.
A candlelit vigil is being organised by local people and expected to take place at the weekend.
Forensic teams were in place throughout Friday, with specialist National Trust arborists brought in to take 25cm slices from both the felled part of the tree and the stump to be analysed in a lab. Measurements and samples were taken earlier in the day by forensic scientists wearing white coveralls and blue gloves, as the investigation continues.
Police officers and park rangers at the scene said they believed the tree had been sliced skilfully with a sharp chainsaw by someone who knew what they were doing.
Locals said they heard nothing during the night due to high winds from Storm Agnes – and woke to find the tree split from its stump.
A Northumbria police spokesperson said: “A 16-year-old male was arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released on police bail, pending further inquiries.”
A number of people visiting the scene on Friday thought it was an indicator of bigger nationwide problems. Otto Van Tull from nearby Durham said it was “a sign of society falling apart”.
“It’s the same category as teenagers stabbing each other. Society has lost its way. The soul of what people are is being assaulted,” he said. Van Tull, who is originally from the Netherlands, said the felling of the tree had reached Dutch news.
The National Trust and Northumberland national park hope the tree might regrow, which is common for sycamores, though the age of the tree might make this difficult.
The National Trust general manager, Andrew Poad, told BBC Breakfast: “It’s a very healthy tree, we can see that now, because of the condition of the stump, it may well regrow a coppice from the stump, and if we could nurture that then that might be one of the best outcomes, and then we keep the tree.”
The National Trust said rangers had been out to collect seeds and pieces of the tree to graft, though it “is not the ideal time”.
A National Trust spokesperson said on Friday: “Our ranger team have been on site today to collect seed and scion wood [ie this season’s growth which is suitable for grafting] to send to our plant conservation centre.
“Although it’s not the ideal time of year to attempt either, we will see if we can get some of the seeds to germinate and produce new trees. We will also use the scion wood for grafting and individual growth buds to bud on to rootstocks, which has the advantage of retaining the tree’s unique, genetic material.”
