Artists are being asked for ideas to create a “nationally important” work from the wood of the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree which, organisers hope, will be galvanising and inspiring.
The National Trust has revealed details of a huge creative commission, offering the chance for artists, organisations or creative agencies to use half of the tree’s timber to produce something incredible.
The announcement comes on the second anniversary of the tree being felled. The trust said it wants proposals that would “breathe life” into the wood.
It was during Storm Agnes in the early hours of 28 September 2023 that two men from Cumbria, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, travelled to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland to cut down the world-famous, much-loved tree.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were both jailed for more than four years. Photograph: AP
The tree, thought to have been planted in the late 19th century by landowner John Clayton, had become an emblem of north-east England and the site of countless marriage proposals, birthday celebrations and scatterings of ashes.
Its felling brought an international outpouring of sadness and anger, and prompted debates about our relationship with nature.
There were initially some who hoped an artwork might stand in the tree’s place. But there were “astonishing” signs of new growth sprouting from the stump, prompting hopes it will be nature that decides what comes next.
The trust is aiming for the new commission to turn a sense of loss “into a sense of hope, creative possibility, and reconnection with the natural world”.
Footage shows the moment Sycamore Gap tree is felled – video
Annie Reilly, the National Trust’s public engagement director, said: “Two years ago, we lost something very special from a much-loved landscape. This commission is a way of marking that iconic tree’s legacy while continuing an important conversation about our collective relationship with nature.
“After carefully looking after the wood since the felling, we’re now ready to bring it back to the people, in a completely new and transformed way.
“We want artists and organisations to come up with proposals that will inspire the public to connect with nature and the landscapes around them, using the timber as a symbolic focal point.
“It could be a design for a single artwork for one location or several pieces or something more dispersed or participatory. We want to reach and engage many people and can’t wait to see the ideas.”
The trust said it would be inviting people and groups to submit ideas between 13 October and 17 November. Up to five will then be shortlisted and offered £5,000 to develop their ideas.
They will be judged by experts and put to a public vote, with a winner announced in February 2026.
It said the commission would have a £200,000 budget, and proposals are encouraged “that can galvanise the chosen audience and which can reach a mass audience across the UK”.
The trust added: “We envisage proposals will create something which will have national impact and relevance and which will use the wood to engage and inspire many people.”
Organisers said the remaining Sycamore Gap wood has been seasoned to extend its life and was in a variety of shapes and sizes.
The largest remaining section of the tree is on permanent display as part of an exhibition at The Sill, the visitor centre near Sycamore Gap.
Saplings from the tree, 49 “trees of hope”, have been given to various good causes across the UK including Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool and the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds.
