AN ART installation of African trees outside an Oxford museum has proved so popular it has taken root and will remain for another year.

For the past year, the lawn of the Museum of Natural History in Parks Road has been the home of Angela Palmer’s Ghost Forest which was due to leave at the end of the month.

But curators at the museum believe the 10 gigantic tree stumps from the rainforests of Western Ghana have helped to bring in more visitors, so they have agreed they can stay for another year.

Mrs Palmer said: “I am delighted that the Ghost Forest is staying for another year. The museum’s comments book underlines the impact the installation has had on people and some visitors would like it to stay forever.

“The trees have had some high-profile visitors including Kofi Annan, and pupils from the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school in London, during the Michelle Obama visit.”

Museum administrator Wendy Shepherd said the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum now get a total of 500,000 visitors a year.