Sherwood Forest's 1,200-year-old Major Oak, legendary tree of Robin Hood, is dead
The ancient oak in Nottinghamshire did not produce leaves this spring, prompting the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to confirm its death after years of visible decline.
The Major Oak, a 1,200-year-old tree deeply woven into the Robin Hood legend, has died. Experts from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) confirmed that the historic oak in Sherwood Forest failed to produce any new leaves in the spring of 2026, marking the end of its biological life.
The lack of leaves this year is heartbreaking for everyone.
The news follows a period of visible decline, with the tree having shown increasing fragility in recent years. The RSPB, which manages the Sherwood Forest site, has been monitoring the Major Oak since 2021 and consulted top soil and tree specialists before making the declaration.
Causes of death
No single factor killed the tree, according to the RSPB. Instead, a complex mix of human and environmental pressures converged.
For over a century, well-intentioned attempts to preserve its imposing form — using metal braces, props, concrete and coatings — prevented natural aging, in effect creating further obstacles to its survival.
Millions of visitors over two centuries compacted the sandy soil around the roots, making it difficult for water, nutrients and oxygen to reach the tree. Recent investigations revealed extremely hard, lifeless soil and a root system much smaller and weaker than previously thought. Climate change added a further layer of stress, with record heatwaves and drought periods in the UK over the last five years worsening the tree's condition.
A legend and a landmark
The Major Oak gained its name from Major Hayman Rooke, a former British army officer who described the tree in a 1790 book on oaks. It has been a natural attraction ever since, drawing tourists who associate the hollow trunk with the tales of Robin Hood hiding from the Sheriff of Nottingham. The tree's trunk circumference measures 11 metres, and its canopy spans nearly 30 metres.
- Major Hayman Rooke describes the tree in a book on oaks, giving it the name Major Oak.
- The area around the tree is fenced off to protect the root zone from visitor trampling.
- RSPB begins active monitoring of the Major Oak and consults soil and tree specialists.
- A false alarm: the tree shows severe decline but is not yet declared dead.
- No new leaves emerge; RSPB experts officially declare the Major Oak dead.
Despite its cultural stature, the tree has been propped up for decades. Some cavities were filled with concrete, and metal cables were used to support the massive limbs. In the 1970s, the area was fenced off to protect the root zone from trampling, but the damage had already accumulated.
What comes next
The oak will not be felled. The RSPB said it will remain standing as a landscape feature and as a habitat for species that depend on decaying dead wood, one reason Sherwood Forest holds special environmental protections.
Now it will offer refuge to numerous species that rely on dead, decaying wood.
Acorns and cuttings from the original tree have been used to grow saplings that are now planted worldwide. The charity indicated that plans are being made to ensure those descendants produce their own acorns and carry on the legend for centuries to come. Sherwood Forest itself remains home to one of Western Europe's largest collections of ancient and veteran oaks, though its extent has shrunk dramatically since the Middle Ages.
