A man in his 60s who was arrested following the tree’s felling has been released, Northumbria Police said in a statement.
Police have recovered a chainsaw from a barn near the scene of the Sycamore Gap felling as the investigation into the shock incident continues.
Officers recovered the tool from an outhouse on Plankey Mill farm, in Northumberland, just eight miles away from the site of the toppled sycamore.
They were seen wrapping the blade in protective paper emblazoned with “police evidence” before they took the item from the scene. The development came after police released a second person, a man in his 60s, who was arrested following last week’s felling.
Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “A male in his 60s was arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.”
How long do sycamore trees usually live?
The Sycamore Gap sycamore had punctuated its stretch of Hadrian’s wall for centuries, having grown in place for 300 years.
According to experts, it could have had at least another 100 years in place had it not been cut down.
The Heart of England Forest estimates that the average sycamore can live to 400 years old.
Kentucky-based Bellarmine University estimates they can surpass this, living to 600 in some cases while growing to 30 metres.
