SOME of the borough's most historic and rare trees should be given a listed status to ensure their future, it has been claimed.

Trees for Cities is calling for important trees in London to be given greater protection so that landowners and developers cannot fell them, and are urging council's to "list" the most significant ones, as they do with historic buildings.

Bob Clark, owner of the Second Nature health food shop in Wood Street, said he would welcome such a proposal if it meant greater protection for the statuesque horse chestnut tree outside his shop.

It is one of the largest in London and is a landmark which has been enjoyed by residents for two centuries.

Ironically, when it was little more than an acorn, the whiteboarded listed building occuped by the health food shop was a butcher's shop.

Mr Clark said: "Anything that saves trees is a good thing especially in urban areas where green areas are under attack from developers. Developments give no organic growth to the area and you lose a sense of history if you lose trees."

The chestnut tree is a feature of the street which can be viewed from one end to the other, and is often admired and photographed by passers-by when it flowers.

Howard Rees, from Trees for Cities, said: "It is very important to protect our heritage and even more so with old trees because they are living entities that have witnessed the ebb and flow of life in their communities and sometimes historical events. It is a great loss when they are removed."

The Wood Street chestnut tree is preserved by a Tree Protection Order (TPO), which can be applied for through the local authority preventing it from being felled.

But Trees for Cities argues that the process has too much "red tape" and relies too heavily on individuals to invest their time.

David Boote, of the Waltham Forest Open Spaces and Conservation Group, disputes that TPOs are not effective, but attributes a cut in staff at the local authority conservation department with making the system less effective.

He said: "Any system needs the people to implement it. Changing the system is just dodging the issue. The TPO would be effective if the council put more resources into implementing it. The resources have been taken out of the department and we have lost trees.

"The area can look pretty grey and dirty without trees, and studies have shown that they help us to have a better view on life. They make a big contribution to how we feel."