Pictures of an ancient pine at Perth Academy, which is due to be chopped down by the council, will not be accepted for a local authority photography exhibition, The Courier has learned.
The council issued an appeal for images of historic Perthshire trees for a display at the city’s museum and art gallery only two weeks after green-lighting controversial plans to fell the tree to make way for a sports pitch at the school.
The Big Tree Roots exhibition will celebrate “the woods, forests and estates of Perthshire” and several people submitted snaps of the pine at Perth Academy, including conservation charity the Woodland Trust.
In an email to the Woodland Trust seen by The Courier, Mark Simmons, the museum’s principal officer natural history, said: “As you are aware, the tree that you have submitted is in the public eye at present because of its proposed removal.
“Due to this we feel that it is inappropriate to include this image within the exhibition as we do not wish the museum and the Big Tree Roots exhibition to become a part of this issue.”
Woodland Trust Scotland spokesman Rory Syme was disappointed with the response.
He said: “This pine is more than 200 years old and has become a centrepoint of social life for the pupils of Perth Academy, built in the 1930s.
“Notably, it became a memorial to two children who died in a car accident when a bench was built around it in 2011, and most recently the children of the school have shown their attachment to the tree by campaigning for its protection.
“The fact that lots of people have put the tree forward for the exhibition just goes to show how widely it is appreciated in Perth.
“In some way it’s not that surprising that the museum has taken the easy way out by not including it. They obviously feel it will cause controversy. It’s a real shame.”
Courier reader Jim Low received the same rejection email from the museum after submitting his shot of the old pine.
He said: “It is disappointing.There was no earlier indication that photographs of the ‘lonesome pine’ would be ineligible and, in truth, the fact that the tree is such a celebrity is perfect reason to include it.
“It seems that officers at the museum felt that they would find themselves in trouble at the council if they included pictures of the tree and, if that is the case, it is a despicable state of affairs.”
Chairman of Perth Civic Trust Sandy Bremner, who previously described the appeal for pictures of historic trees as a “macabre joke”, said: “We are disappointed but not really surprised by the museum’s decision.
“We would again ask the council to reconsider their decision to knock down the tree. They should try to accommodate the pitch and the tree.”
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “The council understands that there are some sensitivities around this tree and that there are pupils and membersof the community who support its retention. It is also true to say there are those who support the creation of a new sports pitch.
“However, given the sensitivities, the museum felt it was not appropriate to include photographs of the tree in the Big Tree Roots exhibition.
“The Scots Pine issue is not connected to the Perth Museum and Art Gallery or the exhibition.”
He added: “We understand the motives behind the submission of the picture by the Woodland Trust. Our staff have contacted the trust to explain the situation, and they have been invited to submit another photograph.”