Worries about global warming, the phenomenon of acid rain and other forms of chemically-induced air pollution have brought about a new awareness of the tree's ability to offset those pollutants' deadly impact. The problem, of course, is of the vicious cycle variety, for as pollution increases, so the very existence of the tree itself is threatened.

Bermuda, whose endemic cedar trees were destroyed by an island-wide blight in the late 1940s, has since exchanged most of its woodlands for jungles of the concrete variety. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries estimates that a further 5,000 trees were lost when Hurricane Emily struck in 1987.

Additionally, they point out, many of the older trees which were not totally destroyed are now "mere shadows'' of their former glory.

Now the Arts Centre at Dockyard is dedicating its next show to a celebration of the tree and, in the words of Mrs. Emma Mitchell, "will highlight the importance of the tree in our everyday environment''.

Mrs. Phylliss West Harron has been invited to open the exhibition. It was an obvious choice. As a founding member and past president of Keep Bermuda Beautiful, her often controversial views on preservation of the Island's environment have ensured plenty of publicity on the subject. She was, for instance, vociferous in her condemnation of the "arbitrary'' decision to remove "those lovely shade trees'' which had, for years, been a much-photographed feature of King's Square in St. George's. For that reason, she is in favour of legislation which would place preservation orders on certain trees throughout Bermuda. A staunch supporter of the "Plant a tree in '73'' beautification campaign, she felt that the '93 campaign was long overdue.

"We should have a tree-planting drive every ten years. Not nearly enough was done to compensate for the damage caused by Emily,'' she says.

Some 15 artists, whose work ranges from paintings and drawings to mixed media, crafted objects (such as furniture) and sculpture, have been invited to participate in the theme exhibition.

A committee, under the chairmanship of Mr. David Mitchell, has been formed to co-ordinate the show, which opens on Sunday, April 17 with a full day of "hands on'' activities, both inside and outside the West End gallery.

"This will be a day out for the whole family,'' says Mrs. Mitchell."There will be refreshments available, which have kindly been provided for us by Bermuda Import and Export Company. The public can watch art and craft in the making, with artists carving and painting old light poles, making paper, print making -- and even the `wrapping' of trees. We hope that in a practical, and fun way, we can help to put people in touch with the dimension, scale and size, and then the many, many uses of trees. We really want to make people more aware of the importance of trees because, all too often, we take them for granted.'' The thrust of the exhibition, part of a series of theme shows, forms part of the Centre's ongoing message that art is not, or should not be, merely decorative.

Says committee member Helen Whight, "We are trying to develop more interesting and diverse themes for our shows, to try and get people to explore other areas they might not normally tackle.'' She will be showing sculptures made from cardboard and recycled paper, "paying homage to the tree from my own point of view.'' Niall Woolf, also on the committee, is doing a cut-out in mahogany ("the mahogany died peacefully in its sleep!'', he insists), playing on the family-tree concept, "with branch-like heads. It looks a bit tribal, or Mexican.'' He believes that, on the whole, people here have been exposed only to representational art: "We feel that now is the time for something with a bit more cerebral content.'' Helen Daniel agrees. "We hope this show will make people open their eyes, to think around subjects, not necessarily in a literal way.'' She will be working with Helen Weight on various projects during the day. The idea of working in couples appeals strongly to this committee -- so much so that a future show will be entitled Two by Two, where people will be encouraged to collaborate in their submissions.

Artist William Collieson, renowned many years now for his mixed media assemblages is, predictably, concerning himself primarily with the `tree-wrapping' sessions: "If you wrap a tree in different materials and in different shapes, you're providing a shock value that forces people to look at things in a new way. It heightens awareness and, in a sense, can be viewed as a form of sculpture -- even if it only lasts for a day.

"Art, and applied arts,'' says Mr. Collieson, "is not just technical, or even about aesthetics or beauty. It can be a strong medium for getting a point of view across and there is a case for Bermuda's art heading more in this direction. In other countries, art is part of the political scene and can have a profound effect on world opinion. Take Picasso's Guernica , for example.

Nothing could tell you more about the horrors of the Spanish Civil War than that did.'' Mr. Collieson, display director at H.A. & E. Smith's, has exhibited at the famous Blue Coat Gallery in Liverpool, Home Works Gallery in London and was one of the 13 Bermuda artists included in the Mall Galleries show, also in London. His work, commissioned by several of the Island's international companies, is in private collections on both sides of the Atlantic, notably that of Lord Ivor Mountbattan.

Niall Woolf studied graphic design and illustration at the Wimbledon School of Art followed by an advanced course in illustration at St. Martin's School of Art in London. He formed Woolfworks, a company specialising in hand painted furniture and special paint treatments for walls and floors just over two years ago. He also illustrates the "Bermuda Faction'' feature in the RG Magazine.

Helen Whight, who has been in Bermuda for just over a year, has degrees in Fine Art and Sculpture and in Art and Design, and her work has been exhibited at several leading shows in Britain.

Helen Daniel, now the daughter-in-law of local artists Amy and Vaughan Evans, completed her MA Textiles degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has exhibited in Budapest, Hungary, the Commonwealth Institute in London, and held two-person and solo shows in Manchester. Her work is featured in an embroidery video for schools and the book, "Contemporary Embroidery'', both due for issue this year.

Mrs. Whight says the Committee hopes "Celebrating the Tree'' will, "get the artistic juices flowing''.

"Sometimes, you feel that, as an artist, you are working in a vacuum here. In Britain, artists work far more freely within the community, in schools, prisons, hospitals and you can see artwork all over the cities and towns in the form of things like murals and sculptures. I would like to see everybody more involved in art here, as they are in other countries.'' The show springs into action at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday, April 17 at the Arts Centre at Dockyard, with Mrs. West Harron officially opening the exhibition at 4 p.m.

CELEBRATING THE TREE -- Busily planning a special exhibition at the Arts Centre at Dockyard are members (back row, left to right): Mr. Niall Woolf and Mr. William Collieson and (front row), Mrs. Helen Whight and Mrs. Helen Daniel.