Destruction of trees

I wish to thank John Mary Briffa (February 11), officer in charge at the Arboriculture Section, Environmental Landscapes Consortium, for replying to my letter Needless Death Of A Tree (February 8).

However, his reply gives rise to more thought and concern. If his consortium was not responsible for the needless chopping down of a healthy beautiful tree, then who was? Were there workmen from the Department of Agriculture involved? If yes, why did they do it? They are supposed to be experts. If it was not them either, then the thing gives rise to greater worry and concern and surely one has to ask what is happening?

All too frequently we are witnessing healthy trees being chopped down on the slightest of pretexts, and also the mindless heavy pruning of trees which leaves them looking like lifeless dried trunks. Educators at school do their best to inculcate in the children under their care a love for the environment in general and for nature in particular. And then some mindless "expert" mutilates healthy trees some distance away from a school as has happened recently near Attard Primary School.

I repeat that too many of these tree stumps are appearing and too much heavy pruning is going on. I only hope that this destruction of trees has got nothing to do with the number of wood-burning fire-places that have recently proliferated all over the island.