This combination of pictures shows, top, the Sycamore Gap tree along Hadrian's Wall, and bottom, police officers stand on duty at the edge of a cordon around the felled Sycamore Gap tree. AFP

The Sycamore Gap tree, which has stood for more than 300 years in the Northumberland National Park, was found fallen after overnight storms. Its stump was seen with white paint marks and appeared cleanly cut, as if by a chainsaw, AFP reporters at the scene said.

The boy was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of criminal damage, after the tree was felled overnight. Why anyone would want to cut down one of England’s most iconic trees has left people across the UK baffled and angry.

Despite widespread dismay and anger at the felling, National Trust general manager Andrew Poad told BBC television that tree could survive.

"It's a very healthy tree, we can see that now, because of the condition of the stump, it may well regrow a coppice from the stump, and if we could nurture that then that might be one of the best outcomes, and then we keep the tree."

In coppicing, shoots regrow from buds at the base of the stump to create multi-stemmed trees.

Robert Macfarlane, a renowned nature writer, said he was "sick to the core” to hear the news about the tree, which was "known and loved by millions.”

"I just see this as part of a piece with a much broader hostile environment towards the living world in this country,” he told BBC radio. "It was a tree that ashes were scattered under, marriages were made under, and it was a shelter for tired walkers.”

Macfarlane said he was buoyed by the widespread disgust that followed news of the tree's felling and suggested that a new forest be planted in its honor.

The tree was one of the main landmarks along Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built nearly 2,000 years ago when Britain was part of the Roman Empire to guard its northwestern frontier.

For generations, walkers have paused to admire and photograph the tree at Sycamore Gap, which was made famous when it appeared in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.”

The National Trust, which for more than 125 years has sought to protect England's heritage and natural landscapes, said it is currently "making the site safe, and helping staff and the community come to terms with the news.”

The tree, which was cut down near the base of its trunk, could grow again, experts said, though they cautioned that it would never be the same.

"It’s worth a try but I think livestock and wildlife will potentially damage it as well," said Rob Ternent, head gardener at The Alnwick Garden nearby. "It’ll be very difficult to get it back to the original tree.”

Ternent said that the first shoots of recovery could start to appear in the spring, and the tree could get to be about 8 feet (2.4 metres) tall, though it will be bushy.

"It was about 300 years old, so it’ll take a long time to get back to that size," he added.

Associated Press