Book excerpt: A stunning collection of portraits of favourite trees from around Britain by photographer Adrian Houston.---'This is a wonderful book: beautiful and important' - Joanna Lumley'A must-read for all conservationists, environmentalists and nature lovers' - Sir Richard Branson'Adrian's stunning photographs capture the majesty of these iconic trees.' - Geraint Richards, Chair of Action Oak---A Portrait of the Tree is a repository of memories, and a testament to the British landscape. Trees are revealed as religious signifiers, historical landmarks, national emblems.Sparked by a simple question: 'What is your favourite tree?', photographer Adrian Houston discovered a wealth of fascinating stories enmeshed with these giants of the natural world - some of miraculous survival, others of sheltering royalty, or witnessing history, or simply of personal grief and renewal. Adrian photographed each nominated tree looking utterly glorious: spotlit by night, bathed in morning sunshine, wreathed in delicate mist or blazing with autumn colour. From the cedars of Highclere Castle to the plane trees of London, ancient pine woods of the Scottish Highlands to veteran oaks that have stood witness to time; from native stalwarts such as the monumental beech to endangered giant redwoods. This stunning celebration bears witness to the might and majesty of the lungs of the earth - the tree. Includes: Joanna Lumley, Tony Kirkham, Dr George McGavin, Antony Gormley, Jasper Conran, Alice Temperley, Alan Titchmarsh, Sir Richard Carew Pole, the Reverend Lucy Winkett