REGARDING Neil Rogers' felled hawthorn tree, the remains of the trunk shown in your photo look extremely healthy for a "rotten" tree (March 17).

This disease excuse is frequently used when someone wants to remove a tree.

With mature trees there is always evidence of some disease, perhaps a dead branch or a mould bract somewhere to apparently justify felling.

If we were to fell all "diseased" trees on this basis there would be few or none left.

What would be interesting, therefore, is to be given the real reason for this demolition.

David Mills,

Howden Road,

Holme-on-Spalding Moor,

York.

Updated: 10:23 Friday, March 19, 2004