A giant redwood tree that was felled 125 years ago to satisfy a drunken bet is to be brought back to life on the Cornish coast . The tree in Humboldt , California , became known as the Fieldwood Stump after being cut down in 1890 at the behest of a wealthy American living in Britain . For decades since tourists have visited the site , perching on what remains of it for photographs . Scroll down for video . The Fieldwood Stump in Humboldt , California , was felled in 1890 , shortly before this photograph is believed to have been taken . Cuttings from the felled tree have since been planted in Cornwall . Cuttings of the tree have been planted at the Eden Project in Cornwall and are now growing in its nursery . But a group of scientists believe they may be able to recreate its former glory after planting cuttings of its wood in the Eden Project in Cornwall . At one time the tree , whose stump is 35ft in diameter , towered as high as a 30-storey building . It was felled in the late 19th Century on the orders of William Walford Astor who is said to have bet drinking mate he could source a 40-seat dining table from a single cross-section of a tree . A huge slice indeed arrived at Cliveden , his stately home in Buckinghamshire , but Lord Astor forbid peers from retelling the story . More than a century after meeting its end the tree will be rejuvenated by scientists in Cornwall as part of an adventurous project to clone American plants in Britain . 'We ’ re really excited about this , we ’ re going to plant a hundred trees to the north of the Eden site to form a living library . 'It feels really odd to hold these saplings and know that they might well be around for another 3000 years from now . 'The climate in Cornwall is not dissimilar from Oregon and northern California where these trees grow naturally so Eden offers absolutely perfect conditions for them . The tree is thought to have been felled at the request of Lord Astor after he made a drunken bet insisting that he could source a 40-seat dining table from one slice of cross-section . For decades tourists have visited the stump , posing for photographs in front of what remains of its base . The tree base has a diameter of 35ft and , at one time , is thought to have towered as high as a 30-storey building . Scientists began last year by collecting cuttings of trees around California . The cuttings were replanted in nurseries at the Eden Project in St Austell and have now grown to leg height . Planting cuttings rather than seeds is more likely to produce an exact clone of the original tree , with the shavings containing exactly the same DNA . The method of propagation is one championed by David Milarch , a former biker-gang member who founded the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive in a bid to save more of the planet 's plants . Along with his sons Mr Milarch has concentrated on planting more sequoias and redwoods because of their ability to absorb carbon dioxide , the greenhouse gas most commonly associated with climate change . 'This is the culmination of hopes , dreams , aspirations and a lot of hard work . These trees are a great green hope for the future . 'Near the end of their lives , coast redwoods put out basal sprouts in a circle around their trunk . 'This ‘ fairy ring ’ of clones ensures that even when the parent tree dies it ’ ll live on in a dozen or so sprouts . It will do that indefinitely so these trees will essentially live forever . This is an archive , a living library of genetics that can be utilised not just for our generation , but for hundreds of generations into the future to rebuild and replace what we ’ ve damaged . ' Ten clone saplings have been planted at the Eden Project in Cornwall ( file image above ) with cuttings taken from the tree . David Milarch , co-founder of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive , has been cloning redwoods for years . Scientists believe cloning trees which absorb carbon dioxide at a higher rate than others will help battle climate change . Above , some clone saplings planted by scientists at the Archange Ancient Tree Archive .
The tree in Humboldt , California , was felled in 1890 at behest of Lord Astor . It became known as the Fieldwood Stump and has since attracted tourists . Score: 6