Sir – What is happening to our urban trees? I live in a ‘leafy’ area of the city, where supposedly the residents are concerned about amenity, yet recent months have seen a steady erosion of mature trees. If they are replaced at all, it is by small specimens, like flowering cherries, which have very few of the same qualities. Once replaced, there is often little chance of long-term survival.

It seems that in both private and public areas we no longer tolerate trees of any size, and that minor inconveniences are enough to justify removal. Even the council website is constructed to assist removal rather than preservation, and uses the word ‘targets’ of trees, as if the trees were out to get us. It seems that instead the opposite is true.

The criterion of amenity is simply not strong enough to protect most trees. We need a calculus of benefit which takes into account the vital role of trees in removing pollution and adding much-needed oxygen to our urban environment. And we need more urban trees, not fewer.

Margaret Pelling, Oxford