They had a tree expert on R4 World At One talking about it. He said there can be hope of life / regrowth but it won't be anything like the tree that was there, but something with many small trunks.
Seems to me a better option might be to find another sycamore that looks like the original and transplant it.
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Replanting something of that magnitude would take some serious lifting equipment and specialist tree spades, you may be able to get something in its place of about 50 to 70 years but it needs to have work done to retrench the root system if it's been free grown before they can lift with a tree spade.
That's 5 to 8 years prep work and then you have to think about the climatic difference between where it was grown and where its going, its likely not to survive the move, you would need to water for a minimum of 2 years to ensure its established and I'm talking 100s of liters of water in the summer months each week.
Whoever cut this down is familiar with chainsaws, they put in a clean and level gob, the backkcut was level and flat and the hinge was even and neat, the felled with the shape and weight of the canopy in mind so it went the way they wanted. Now that's not above the capabilities of a 16yo if he's been brought up on a farm or around tree surgeons l, but he wasn't alone I will wager my job on it, he didn't walk that mile with that size saw, the bar mush have been 22 to 24 inch minimum.
Whoever it turns out carried out this wanton and mindless piece of vandalism needs jail time and I really hope that in time that their actions now haunt them in the future.
I would be looking at locals who have a beef with the NP and NT, the 16yo is possibly a scapegoat because he will get less punishment than an adult 🤔