THESE days people say 'Aren't trees beautiful?' but in the past our ancestors said 'Aren't trees useful.'

I think that in future we should regard trees as both useful and beautiful.

Conservation does not mean that we should avoid cutting down trees.

To me it means that we should cut down one tree, use the timber and in its place plant three trees!

I am fascinated by our native trees but some introduced species also have a history. This certainly applies to the larch.

Larch is the only common conifer which sheds its leaves in autumn when they have a lovely orange colour. In spring the leaves are a delightful green.

Most of the needles are borne on little knobs or short shoots along the twigs, forming bunches of up to 30 leaves.

This deciduous habit is linked to the climate where larches grow wild, either in the far north around Scandinavia or on high mountain ranges.

In these areas the ground is frozen so hard that the tree would be killed if it had leaves from which water evaporates.

Foresters like planting larch because their crowns of foliage allow light to reach the woodland floor.

The timber has a pale yellow sapwood and a contrasting reddish brown heart-wood.

It is much stronger than most conifer timbers and this makes it suitable for bridge building and the construction of ships, especially in the days of sailing ships.

The city of Venice was actually built on larch piles and larch still used for fencing and gates. Larch does not burn well because it throws out sparks.

It mixes well with other trees and forms a useful fire break some times of the year because of its deciduous habit.

The lesson here is clear -- do not take our trees for granted.

They all have a long and fascinating history.