Country diary: uprooting a tree is the ultimate assault on nature

Stamford, Lincolnshire: Making the decision to fell a tree, however responsible and necessary, comes with a strange devastationFour large trees lie within our boundary. They’re a comforting part of our number, filling views with a nature we appreciate but take for granted. All cast their shadow signatures, have voices when in leaf and asway, and carry many passengers, from squirrels to sparrowhawks.This one, a 12-metre silver birch split mid-height into a hand of branches, has been a fine