A report in today's Daily Mirror claimed that the municipal authorities in Paris are to insert microchips into trees on the capital's boulevards. The aim of the scheme, according to the Mirror, is to warn the authorities when individual trees feel they're about to peg it. And, the tabloid continues, London is thinking of implementing a similar scheme for its trees. The report did not say which company would supply the chips, but it would be a way of disposing of processors that were past their sell-by date. A case of getting rid of the dead wood, perhaps. ®