What pruning is all about

I fully concur with the residents near the Mriehel bypass (Tree Pruning Raises Residents' Ire, August 2). The people from the Environmental Landscape Consortium must have got it into their heads to go on a rampage in the area as one can also see from the attached photo of the trees in Papaffy Street, Ta' Paris, Birkirkara, which experienced the same fate.

Although Eucalyptus trees grow fast, as had been advised by the ELC representative, the act that was carried out can hardly be referred to as pruning. Pruning should be done regularly to control the trees and keep them in shape and not undertake this action as a last resort because the trees had not been pruned for a long time - it is no fault of the trees! When one prunes, it is to cut out dead parts and remove excessive branches but certainly not to remove practically all the branches and leave the trees in a pitiful state.

Besides, as the residents of Mriehel noticed, no consideration has been given to the many birds which used to populate the trees and had their lives terminated so roughly.

I trust that the environmentalists and the minister responsible from the environment will take note of this.