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The Fortingall Yew is the oldest living thing in Europe. The original size of the trunk is marked by the wooden poles. Source: Moeng / CC BY-SA 3.0

Brainless Tourists Slaughter 5,000-Year-Old Sacred Scottish Tree

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An ancient and highly-sacred Scottish tree, The Fortingall Yew, located on the Glenlyon Estate in Perthshire, is thought to be between 3,000 - 5,000 years old and possibly the oldest tree in Europe. Now, scientists claim it might be ‘dead’ in less that 50 years because tourists are tearing off its branches for souvenirs (Facepalms).

Environmental campaigners say the yew tree, which is the oldest in the UK and maybe in Europe, even though being caged inside the Fortingall Churchyard in Perthshire, has been left “in increasingly bad health because of tourists.” A Scotsman article said tourists are “chopping the branches off to keep for themselves” and Catherine Lloyd, coordinator of the Tayside Biodiversity Community Partnership, said: “They are attacking this poor tree” and “it’s stressed.”

The Fortingall Yew sits in the corner of the churchyard and is surrounded by a wall and railings, which are there to protect it. (Maigheach-gheal / CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Fortingall Yew sits in the corner of the churchyard and is surrounded by a wall and railings, which are there to protect it. (Maigheach-gheal / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Neil Hooper, the tree warden for Fortingall, said that a metal Tree Council plaque had been “forced down and twisted flat face down, which must have taken considerable force, by someone climbing into the enclosure.” He said visitors climb into the enclosure over a “listed wall”, so that they can tie beads and ribbons to the tree’s branches. For some, the temptation proves too great and “needles, twigs, even bits of branches have been ‘torn’ off”.

The Sacred Heritage of The UK’s Oldest Tree

For almost two centuries the tree has been a focus of Christian pilgrims who hold the tree as a landmark of early Christianity; the tree that provided shade at the birth of Pontius Pilate who is said to have been born in this village during the Roman occupation and played beneath the Yew as a boy, before he grew up and ordered the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Skeptics, however, claim this entire story was a hoax created by Sir Donald Currie, a shipping magnate who bought the Glenlyon Estate in 1885, that rubbed shoulders with literary fantasists such as Rudyard Kipling Lord Tennyson. However, let us not be too quick to dismiss the actual magic of this tree along with the cultural myths, for in the real world, this particular tree is a scientific marvel, a genetic rarity.

Four years ago, scientists in Scotland announced that the sacred tree was “undergoing a sex change.” They knew that the Fortingall Yew had “always” been recorded as being “a male tree”, but in 2015 it started sprouting berries - something only female yew trees do!

The Fortingall Yew spouted berries in 2015. (grassrootsgroundswell / CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Fortingall Yew spouted berries in 2015. (grassrootsgroundswell / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Experts at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, skeptically, ventured to Fortingall and indeed spotted three berries high up on the tree. Dr. Max Coleman, of the Royal Botanic Garden, told reporters at The Guardian “Yew trees have been known to change sex before but… The sex change isn’t the amazing bit in this case, it’s the fact it’s this particular tree.” Coleman thought “occasional switches of sex can maximize the reproduction potential, still, the sudden appearance of ‘female parts’ on a tree thousands of years old is a mystery.

Saving the Sacred Fortingall Yew

Alarmingly, due to its current state of poor health, Catherine Lloyd said “one day the ancient yew will keel over, and it could happen in 50 or 300 years”. In response, The Church Yew Tree project, is a 10-year program working in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh that will plant seedlings from the Fortingall Yew at various kirkyards in Perthshire and Angus, and also at the Royal Botanic Garden. By 2020 they hope to have successfully identified around 20 churchyards which will accept new saplings.

A cutting of the Fortingall Yew at Kindrogan Field Studies Centre. (Rosser1954 / Public Domain)

A cutting of the Fortingall Yew at Kindrogan Field Studies Centre. (Rosser1954 / Public Domain)

Eco-congregation Scotland and the Tayside Biodiversity Community Partnership planted the first tree at Megginch Castle, near Errol, this month but Loyd told reporters that the sapling “Might not be from the Fortingall Yew” and she added “the true origin of this tree cannot be determined without a DNA test” and that is important because the scientists only want to work with saplings from the original Fortingall tree.”

A Message To The Historic Souvenir Collector

While writing this article a haunting thought came over me; because of the nature of the Ancient Origins platform, the probability must be quite high that at least one of the readers will have a branch, needle or piece of bark from the sacred tree sitting gathering dust on their mantel piece. Just in case, I must take this concluding paragraph to speak openly with you, the way your mothers obviously failed to do.

Although you think possessing a piece of old tree enhances your spirituality, connection to nature or overall individuality, in cold reality you are a confused lowly materialist. Leave things as you find them!

The Fortingall Yew in June 2011, comparing you can clearly see its downfall. (Paul Hermans / CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Fortingall Yew in June 2011, comparing you can clearly see its downfall. (Paul Hermans / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Top image: The Fortingall Yew is the oldest living thing in Europe. The original size of the trunk is marked by the wooden poles. Source: Moeng / CC BY-SA 3.0

By Ashley Cowie

 

Comments

Thanks for this, Ashley. I created an account specifically to comment here because literally just now I watched as a group of French new age tourists "prayed" by the tree before proceeding to have each person - 12 in all - start tearing off branches! I yelled and told them off, saying they couldn't possibly respect the yee because they were actively killing it. They sulked off, but I bet they'll be back later for more. The absolute hypocrisy of "worshipping" a thing only to start destroying it!
Shout it from the rooftops - if you "need" to take a piece of history with you to connect with it, you aren't worthy of it. I only wish the Fortingall Yee itself was protected so I could report this group for what they are: heritage vandals.

Thanks for this, Ashley. I created an account specifically to comment here because literally just now I watched as a group of French new age tourists "prayed" by the tree before proceeding to have each person - 12 in all - start tearing off branches! I yelled and told them off, saying they couldn't possibly respect the yee because they were actively killing it. They sulked off, but I bet they'll be back later for more. The absolute hypocrisy of "worshipping" a thing only to start destroying it!
Shout it from the rooftops - if you "need" to take a piece of history with you to connect with it, you aren't worthy of it. I only wish the Fortingall Yee itself was protected so I could report this group for what they are: heritage vandals.

Sara Maria Zarsu Tronier's picture

When i get my own house, i would gladly take a sapling and keep it safe in my garden, if you want it. I have never been to the tree, but hopefully some day i can go and see it. But yeah, you have my offer of help, though im sure it will be overlooked. Its a beautiful tree and i hope people stop imposing on it and taking parts of it.

It is tie to put this sacred tree off limits to all. Now you must protect and but your horticulturist to work to try and save the tree. Quite talking about it and get to work. There has to be a way to save at least parts of the tree and that will sustain the life of the original IN PLACE...

clearly, much more effective protections need to be put in place to keep humans from damaging it even one bit further. the wall and rail obviously arent doing enough. the sad fact is, wherever we go, people cause destruction of nature, and nature only recovers once the humans are completely kept out. chernobyl proves it. the wildlife refuge around Rocky Mountain Arsenal proves it. add your favorite example, here. perhaps this tree is fruiting and seeding now because it knows its countdown clock to dying has been set off. thats what progeny are for: making sure your kind of life doesnt disappear with you. btw, during the last US govt. shutdown, idiots cut down ancient tree in joshua tree national monument because rangers werent there to stop them. there are ancient trees venerated all over the planet that need to be kept from idiots like these. the frankincense trees in arabia. the cork trees in spain. go find out the rest of the list. "stupid humans..." the planet would be better off without us!!!

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ashley cowie's picture

Ashley

Ashley is a Scottish historian, author, and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems in accessible and exciting ways.

He was raised in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north east coast of... Read More

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