Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky. We fell them down and turn them into paper that we may record our emptiness - Kahil Gabrun (1833 - 1931) Lebanese mystic and poet

WHENEVER I read a book, magazine, newspaper, or letter, I think that somewhere in the world we have lost a friend. For trees are friends of man, our allies against global warming. Without them our world would be in a sorrier state.

Ever mindful of our friends the trees, I see it as a moral duty to save the large amount of paper that drops through my letterbox each day, and once or twice a week take a weighty bagful to the waste paper container outside the Foxwood shops, from where it is collected for recycling.

But now our councillors have, reluctantly, decided that the container is to be removed to a new site, because it has become a target for the attention of irresponsible morons with matches, who think it's fun to set it alight and tip it over. Naturally, the local residents became annoyed and asked that it be moved.

What a sorry state of affairs, when we are expected to abandon our principles because of the misdeeds of a few juvenile mischief-makers. Surely we should do something about them and not the paper container. But no, that would be taking the tough option, something rarely done these days.

So, in future, because the new site is too far to carry my weekly hoard of paper, I'll have to put it in my wheelie bin and feel guilt at what I do.

Let's hope that one day, those responsible for encouraging the recycling of our precious resources will organise a system for collecting paper and other reusable materials. This is done in other EU countries, so why not here?

In the meantime, if you're depressed about the effects of global warming, try hugging a tree - it might make you feel better.

IT will have pleased those people who rely on First York buses for their conveyance to learn that the company is having another shake-up to improve its service, and has devised an impressive metro route plan for its area of operations. The plan has been brilliantly conceived and promises a more efficient service. Let's hope it is able to maintain its promised efficiency when it is in operation.

Not owning a car and having made regular use of York bus services since 1970, I have taken a keen interest in how they are run. I find the First York bus service generally satisfactory and the drivers usually helpful. However, understandably, buses sometimes run late and occasionally fail to arrive; layover at the wrong termini with their engines running, and set off before passengers are safely seated. These shortcomings may be due to the fact that buses no longer carry conductors, and inspectors are never seen to "jump" buses, to check for irregularities.

A cause for complaint is the cost of fares. In 1970 the fare from the Foxwood Lane to the city centre was 7d (3.2p). It is now at least £1.20. Have the company's running costs increased by 4,100 per cent in 30 years? The drivers' wages haven't.

However, the present service is still very much better than the one we had in the 1970s, when my evening journey, including waiting time, from Clifford Street to Foxwood often took more than 90 minutes.

Not a happy experience, after a hard day at the office, waiting in bitterly cold weather for buses that had been taken off because they were running late.

If national and local government authorities are serious about wanting greater use made of public transport they have do more to encourage operators to provide safe, reliable and reasonably-priced travel.

If that is done then we'll all benefit by the reduced use of fuel-wasting and air- polluting private motor vehicles.