by business editor Trevor Sturgess

A Kent haulage firm has branched out by taking tree art to the
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

CPL Transport Services (UK), based in Appledore, specialises in abnormal loads and 10 trees from the Suhuma Forest in Ghana proved more abnormal than usual.

The family-run firm used five heavy good vehicles to take the
massive trees from Trafalgar Square to the Danish capital for an
exhibition that warns delegates about the horrors of
deforestation.

The Ghost Forest show has been created by artist Angela Palmer

and initially involved loading the trees at Tilbury Docks.

CPL transported them to Trafalgar Square for a seven-day display
that attracted widespread public interest before being loaded up
again for the journey to Copenhagen.

Company owner Colin Lumsden, from Kingswood, near Maidstone,
said it was a major haulage project involving weeks of planning and
huge risks because of the size of the trees. "This has been amazing
for us," he said.

At the end of the United Nations conference, CPL will haul the
trees from Copenhagen to storage in the UK.

There is a possibility that the Ghost Forest may then transfer
to Washington DC or Melbourne and Mr Lumsden hopes his company will
be asked to take the trees to port or airport.