Ah, I remember WW posted that he had a particular photographic interest in trees.
Curious you post the Linley Beeches on the same day I posted about Walcot Hall elsewhere here;
http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=33797.msg491668#msg491668Perhaps the same gang of french PoWs worked on the Linley Avenue and dug the lake no one than privileged visitors view at Walcot. Sir Jasper More was one of those hereditary landowners, who broke the mould, as a long serving MP for Ludlow he was one of the rare members of the landed aristocracy, who could also claim membership of the human race. He attended every meeting of the Shropshire NFU Executive as a parliamentary observer and was there in the 1960's when I proposed a motion that the NFU, CLA, Min of Ag and user groups form a joint discussion group on the footpath network with the fundamental understanding that not single yard of way be lost. Ironically then the CLA accepted the idea it was the Ramblers who turned it down.
I was living within a few miles of Linley Hall, when he died. the estate past on to an indirect relative I think. Certain 'de facto' bits of access started to disappear, I think this was felt by the organisers of the 24 hr race over the Stiperstones and Longmynd. That was a direct response to the Sarah Slade gospel of access as adopted by the CLA about ten years ago.
Trees can tell a story, perhaps in their ring their are memories and lessons to be learnt.
MWM I cannot recall any memory of a curse on Elder, as the branches can mostly be hollow its value as a firewood must be limited. Most of the folklore I learnt was so long ago I cannot be sure.