18/06/2026
Whilst we were all rooting for it to live as long as possible, Sherwood Forestās Major Oak has sadly sprung its last leaves.
Itās not all sad though - the legacy of one of the worldās most famous trees, which reached an estimated 1,200 years old, will live on for many more to come.
Its acorns have already been grown on and planted as new trees, the deadwood itself will also continue to enrich the soils and provide habitat for millions more insects as it slowly returns to earth, and community-led work celebrating and restoring the forest makes us feel really hopeful.
So we wanted to take this moment both to honour and focus on just one project keeping the Major Oakās spirit aliveā¦
Collaborating with friends and to bring you the Pop-up Sherwood Forest as a few weeks ago!
We gathered around 60 trees including to display on Old Market Square, giving a flavour of what itās like to be immersed in woodland for anyone passing through town that day.
300 trees were also given away to local people, and a lot of community pitched in - thanks in particular go to Plant.NG Wild Tree Nursery, for the woodchip mulch, incredible planting volunteers, and Adamās neighbours.
On the Sunday we planted them at their home at Aspley Peopleās Forest, already home to over 5,000 community-planted trees at King George V Playing Fields - part of the countywide Sherwood Peopleās Forest project.
Some of the many oaks weāve planted already will, we hope, live on for many hundreds of years - maybe some could grow as old as the Major Oak itselfā¦
This project is just one of many carrying Sherwood Forestās legacy forward across the county which you too can get involved with.
Sherwood Forest now has its own national day on February 20th each year, and the City Councilās promised a āChildrenās Forest Cityā as part of its exciting Nottingham Vision.
The last photo is a recent one of our first forest, the Hustle Holt at Woodthorpe Park, planted only in October 2021 - look how big it is already!
Imagine how Nottingham could look in another five or twenty years if we keep on planting? š±
