With respect to trees

A few years ago, before the last national election, I was invited to meet with George Pullicino and give feedback on my ideas on sustainability regarding our local environment. Many issues were discussed, including moving fish farms further out to sea, the lack of solar panels in the design of the then new Mater Dei Hospital, solar lighting for roads etc…

The list was rather long so I am not going to waste my words as, since that meeting (and there were many who attended who voiced sane comments regarding our long list of grievances and suggestions), it seems our words went unheard and certainly not taken into much consideration.

Now another election looms and we might be asked to meet again with hopeful ministers who will waste our time and aspirations with many smiles and yeses but this time we will probably not vote for them.

My issue today is trees. The government has given our trees’ future into the hands of two bodies which are working under the assumption that they can take action and slaughter and butcher old grown trees in a manner not befitting environmental sustainability. I am talking about the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Environmental Landscapes Consortium.

After pruning (and this is a misinterpretation of the word as pruning is a delicate job), the wood is taken to be sold as fire logs (you may verify by the signs outside Wied Inċita) and the workers (who are not arbologists) are systematically attacking the trees with chainsaws. A tree surgeon would tell you that the chainsaw is the last straw for trees. A true tree lover (who I would assume should be doing the job of pruning) would assess the tree, consider the climate and then, at the right time of year, prune as little of the tree as possible.

I object to the wood being taken and sold as this is not the right incentive for the tree cutters; this is a blatant way of making money. Malta has a rich biodiversity if only we allowed it to proliferate… lawn and fountains instead of indigenous, drought-loving plants is a clear mistake. On our sacred island we have been given various unintelligible answers as to why the trees are being hacked to stumps… roads need widening, new pavements need fixing, birds keep nesting and droppings on cars, bastions need to be even more prominently seen (?)…

And the absurd list goes on. Yet, nobody seems to stop and think that we depend on trees for shade, cleaner air, nests for the few birds left. Shall I go on? The discrepancy between the two sides of this coin are sickeningly obvious to people who actually think.

Even 24,000 signatures did not make a dent in the rape of our country… and what for? More building? We are all aware that there are over 50,000 unused apartments in Malta. Do we need more? How about helping homeowners repair their heritage balconies and outlaw aluminum ones? How about leaving space in the newer pavements for trees instead of adding to the amount of concrete poured? And when repairing pavements that encircle old trees, hacking the roots is not very sensible either, nor is pouring cement and pushing pebbles into it. Trees need roots and soil. Is this brain surgery? Just common sense.

It is the lack of this that is offending me. And the pretext that because these bodies are given the go ahead they are suddenly experts in their fields. I challenge the experts to give their reasons and excuses for the damage they are causing and allowing to continue.

I await an answer.