The Cubbington Pear Tree was a wild pear tree located near Cubbington in Warwickshire, England. Around 250 years old, it was the second largest wild pear tree in the country and a noted local landmark. In 2015 the tree was voted England's Tree of the Year. A Parliamentary petition was launched in September 2020 to save the tree from being cut down for HS2 and a month later had over 20,000 signatures triggering an official government response. It was felled as part of the High Speed 2 railway development on 20 October 2020. Description The Cubbington Pear Tree was identified as a specimen of Pyrus communis var. communis, and is listed as such in the Champion Tree Register. It is located on the top of a hill near to South Cubbington Wood, Cubbington. The tree sat on private land but near to a public footpath from which it was visible. Thought to be around 250 years old, the Cubbington Pear Tree may have been the United Kingdom's oldest wild pear tree. The tree was the second largest wild pear tree in the country, measuring some in girth. Despite its age the tree continued to blossom and bear fruit until the end of its life. The tree was entered onto the Tree Register of the British Isle as a national champion (the oldest or largest known specimen of a particular species). HS2 In 2011 the Cubbington Pear Tree was identified as under threat from the proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase 1 railway line between London and Birmingham, becoming one of 20 pear trees to be threatened by the scheme. An expert from Warwickshire Museum visited the site to record and assess the tree. Representatives from HS2 said that the tree cannot be relocated as the lower trunk is hollow. They instead proposed to take cuttings from the tree and plant seedlings from it nearby as a replacement. The tree trunk was to be placed in the South Cubbington Wood to form a habitat for insects, fungi and plants. The removal of the tree was opposed by the Cubbington Action Group who instead proposed that this section of the line be tunnelled beneath the tree. A petition in support of this proposal was sent to the HS2 Parliamentary select committee, but the scheme was rejected on economic grounds, with an estimated cost of £46 million. In preparation for its removal the