This puzzle might have seemed more challenging at another time, but after the last few weeks seemed refreshingly straightforward! Some clues did take a bit of parsing, though. I think I figured these all out to my satisfaction in the end, but I do feel there are a couple of really thin definitions being used. For example, in the second part of the first linked clue, the alternative spelling used in the answer is given in BRB as an alternative for the tree but not, at least in my edition, for the actual definition the clue relies on… Still, minor criticism for an interesting and enjoyable puzzle with a good theme, reasonably tractable endgame, and thank goodness no d**n erasing or changing to do!!
PS for anyone still looking for the “linked in a similar way”, note that the preamble claims this for the *clues* (rather than, for example, the answers).