Too often people talk about replanting trees as if it were as easy as re-parking a car. It isn’t.

I recently travelled all over Malta with a recognised tree expert from UK who was appalled at many things I showed him, starting from the devastation at Mdina.

It may take up to two years to transplant a tree at the Hampshire arobretum he is in charge of, by slowly pruning it, and slowly cutting back the roots so that new, shorter ones grow. Even then these experts suffer losses.

So it is no wonder that the local people doing the so-called transplantings and merrily waving their chainsaws are systematically killing off our tree heritage and fruit-bearing citrus trees.

His message: “I work in a world-famous arboretum in the UK (www.hilliergardens.org.uk) and I was appalled, on a recent visit to Malta, to see the state of many indigenous trees which had been poorly pruned or transplanted with no knowledge or expertise, leaving little chance of survival.

“If the authorities need advice or assistance in this area, we may be able to help.”

People in authority, who should have the expertise but have shown that they don’t, brandish the myth of replanting without having the faintest idea that they are signing death warrants. Or maybe they do.