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Irish Times
12-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Tree Hunting by Paul Wood: a supremely fascinating book that seeks to channel our frequently unarticulated love for trees
Tree Hunting: 1,000 Trees to Find in Britain and Ireland's Towns and Cities Author : Paul Wood ISBN-13 : 978-0241502051 Publisher : Particular Books Guideline Price : £30 I recently observed an exchange of views on one of the social networks, to do with the felling of the tree that grew in the Sycamore Gap in the north of England . The trial of the men accused of destroying this local and national landmark had concluded in convictions , and now there was a buzz of comment: this was a case of sheer vandalism, the convicted men deserved prison, the loss of the tree was a tragedy, the whole episode was a sentimental storm in a teacup. One particular opinion caught my eye: that the felling of this particular tree was in fact no great loss, given that sycamores are ubiquitous in the landscape, and are not even a native species. I felt that this comment surely failed to recognise a fundamental fact: that we can indeed love individual trees, and experience the loss of a familiar tree as a bereavement. As Paul Wood has it in Tree Hunting, 'Our passionate response to trees' destruction shows how deeply we know it is wrong: to lose them feels heart-wrenching – outrageous, even – as though we were losing parts of ourselves.' Wood's supremely fascinating book seeks to channel this frequently unarticulated love, and to offer it a fresh focus. In paying attention to specific trees that grow today across urban Britain and Ireland, he invites us to appreciate more fully what we might otherwise simply pass by. [ Nature therapy: How to get your 'daily dose of trees' Opens in new window ] He has roamed these islands, and made his selection – and the result is a kind of illumination, and an exercise in mindfulness. And of seeing in global terms, in that so many of the trees planted across our landscape – like the fig, the mulberry, the sweet chestnut, and of course the sycamore – do not naturally belong here, have been imported, owe their presence to chance and to the vagaries of fashion, economics, and colonialism. READ MORE Ireland receives much attention in Wood's book, and it is gratifying to see many familiar friends – such as the spectacular Tree of Heaven growing beside the glasshouses in Dublin's National Botanic Gardens – spotlit in its pages. [ The Tree Hunters' Glasnevin focus is gratifying but it barely glances at the calamities created by colonialist adventurers Opens in new window ] But it is the less glamorous trees that particularly claim attention in this book, and that urge our feet to go wandering, and our eyes to look again with pleasure and appreciation.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Campaigners reach 'breakthrough' with council Poynton Pool tree plan
Campaigners fighting to save trees at a Cheshire beauty spot have said they have been told their alternative plan for the site is East Council wants to cut down up to 70 trees by Poynton Pool to reduce flood risk around the ornamental water feature, which dates back to about Friends of Poynton Pool have put forward an alternative plan which would see just one tree removed and has said there has now been a "potential breakthrough" with the council.A council spokesperson said it was in an open dialogue with the group, but the viability of any proposals "remains the responsibility of the council". Poynton Pool is an ornamental pond formed in the 18th century and is classed as a high-risk reservoir because of the amount of water it council said some trees had to removed as part of its legal requirements to maintain the plans was deferred by councillors at a meeting last year, and a study by the Environment Agency a few months later found the pool was significantly smaller than the council had previously estimated. One stump The Friends of Poynton Pool (FoPP) said the potential breakthrough came in a meeting between the group, Poynton Town Council and Cheshire East Council earlier this Chairman Mike Ellison said the group's proposal would require "minimal inspection and maintenance" and see just one beech tree stump and some vegetations said: "It also means the council will no longer be required to provide a costly carbon offset mitigation planting scheme at Walnut Tree Farm in Woodford."A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council, said the authority is continuing to speak to the group about the ongoing management and safety of the said: "The development and determination, including viability, of any final proposals to address the requirements of the Reservoirs Act, remains the responsibility of the council and their appointed qualified, professional team." See more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC North West on X. For more local politics coverage, BBC Politics North West is on BBC One on Sunday at 10:00am and on BBC iPlayer.
