A LUDLOW resident has made an impassioned plea to the Friends of Whitecliffe Common to think again before taking the axe to a young oak tree.

Russell Cheng of Upper Linney has taken a photograph of the trees in the hope that it brings about a change of heart.

He has also hit out at the decision of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust of allow one of the trees to be cut down and days that it goes against everything that the Trust claims to stand for.

The man behind a BBC Four television programme about oak trees has also been contacted in a bid to draw national attention to what Ludlow Town Councillor Tim Gill has called a planned act of environmental vandalism.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for me the oaks have always lent an added natural charm whether the town is in plain view or not,” said Russell Cheng.

“To chop one of the oaks down takes no account of long-term aesthetics. The oaks are barely teenagers in oak terms. Left alone, in 100 years the oaks will form a lovely shady frame for people to stand under to admire Ludlow and viewers will no doubt be wondering why not more oaks had to been planted.”

He has accused the Friends of Whitcliffe Common of failing to appreciate the iconic status of oak trees and their importance to the environment.

“Do the ‘Friends of Whitcliffe’ have no regard to the iconic status of the oak in English history?," he said.

“Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s compromise solution of chopping down one oak, seems particularly pusillanimous. It does not change the insensitive wantonness of the act, will satisfy no one. It is a complete abrogation what Shropshire Wildlife Trust is meant to stand for.

“If a mere majority is all that is required, then let us count the tens of thousands wild life great and small for which the oak is their livelihood. If they had a say, I am sure we all know what they would vote for.

“The oak provides enough oxygen to keep any one of the ‘Friends of Whitcliffe’ going for the rest of their lives. I hope, when taking in the ‘unimpeded’ view that they so crave, they will each show some respect and hold their breath.”

He has also contacted Professor George McGavin in a bid to draw national attention to the decision to take the axe to one of the trees.

In the television programme broadcast on BBC Four, Dr George McGavin investigated the highly varied and dramatic life of oak tree.

Part science documentary, part historical investigation, this film celebrated of one of the most iconic trees in the British countryside.

It aimed to give viewers a sense of what an extraordinary species the oak is and provide an insight into how this venerable tree experiences life.

The Friends of Whitcliffe Common were asked to comment but had not responded at the time of going to press.