Forestry England offer explanation on Sycamore Gap tree valuation
Forestry officials have explained how the value of the beloved Sycamore Gap tree was estimated after it was felled.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, of Carlisle, have been convicted of criminally damaging the Sycamore Gap tree and Hadrian’s Wall following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court. The tree was felled overnight in September 2023.
Part of the charges for the two men involved an estimation of the value of the 200-year-old Sycamore. The figure was put at £622,191, with some members of the public questioning how such a figure was arrived at.
Forestry England, which is part of the Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has explained that the valuation was based on the Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) system.
Documents explain that CAVAT works by calculating a unit value for each cm2 of tree stem. This value is worked out using the cost of a newly planted standard tree.
In addition – and key for Sycamore Gap – the cost is adjusted by taking into account the contribution of “location, accessibility, social value and relative contribution to amenity”. Also factored in is the tree’s remaining life expectancy.
The DEFRA document explains that an amenity adjusted value takes into account features such as special benefits to the community, visual importance and national or local designations. Sycamore Gap was arguably one of the most famous trees in the country and certainly one of the most photographed, as well as bringing tourists to the area.
This means much of the value would likely have come from the amenity value of the tree.
Furthermore, trees with a life expectancy of over 80 years retain their full value. Sycamore trees have been known to live over 500 years, putting the Gap tree well within the limit.
Graham and Carruthers were remanded in custody following the jury’s guilty verdict. The pair are due to be sentenced on July 15.