UK's oldest tree, thousands of years old, under attack from tourism

In yet another incident of irresponsible tourism, the oldest tree in the UK is bearing the brunt of overzealous tourists. The tree is famous by the name of the Fortingall Yew and is estimated to be 3000 to 5000 years old. It stands tall in the churchyard of Fortingall village in Scotland’s Perthshire. Experts opine that it might be a remnant of a post-Roman Christian site, and has immense value as a relic as well.

While the tree, as it stands now, has bifurcated into several stems, its trunk once measured 52 ft in girth. In spite of it having such immense historical and natural value, the tree is now facing a slew of attacks from overzealous tourists. Reportedly, a number of tourists have ties wishing threads and tokes to its stems, some even trying to snap bits of its branches as souvenirs! Needless to state, such activities will lead to a shorter lifespan for the tree.
Previously, it was estimated that the Fortingall Yew will live for another 50 years. The recent attacks, though, might cut down its life by a considerable time span.

What is surprising in this scenario is that the tree already has a wall to barricade it from curious onlookers; the authorities have also put up a cage around it for more protection. Still, several tourists have attempted to climb over the fence and get nearer to the tree!
In the words of Catherine Lloyd, Coordinator of the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership, “They are attacking this poor tree, it’s stressed, and whether that’s the reason this poor tree is not doing very well at the moment, we don’t know.”


While a number of efforts are made to save the tree, including awareness programmers, experts are also trying to grown saplings out of it. They opine that with a considerable number of saplings, by 2020, they might just find a way for this tree’s legacy to continue. Though there is no surety of the success of the same, tourists need to stick to the rules laid, not just for the tree, but for all tourist attractions across the world.