Roads agency plants 3,123 trees in first three months

Infrastructure Malta has planted 3,123 trees in 40 locations in Malta during the first three months of 2020.

The roads agency said that since it launched its nationwide tree-planting programme in 2019, it has introduced over 11,800 indigenous trees in 80 different roadside strips and other urban and rural areas in Malta.

Infrastructure Malta said it aimed to extend this initiative to other localities in the coming months to surpass last year’s total of 8,719 trees. In 2019, Infrastructure Malta planted more trees in Malta than any other government, voluntary or private organisation.

“Through this multi-million environmental commitment, the agency also contracted the services required to water and take care of these trees for several years, until they are fully established in their environment. If any of the new trees are damaged or die, Infrastructure Malta will replace them as part of this care agreement,” the agency said.

The agency said that in February and March, it had added 84 trees along the newly reconstructed Hal Qormi Road and San Tumas Road, between Qormi and Luqa

Infrastructure Malta said its arborists and landscaping experts had also planted some 1,800 perennial shrubs. "The quantities, species and sizes of trees and shrubs planted in each location are determined by the arborists, after surveying soil quality and other site-specific conditions, and in line with applicable regulations," the agency said. 

Many of the new trees planted during the last three months are in landscaping strips and other green zones along existing arterial and secondary roads or new roads being built through the agency’s projects.

The agency said that in February and March, it added 84 trees along the newly reconstructed road between Qormi and Luqa. It also added 196 and 120 trees in roadside green areas along T’Alla u Ommu Hill, in Naxxar and L-Imdina Road, Qormi.

It said that when the initiative was launched during the summer of 2019, the agency called for environmental NGOs and other organisations to propose different areas which could be embellished with new trees and shrubs.

“Through this outreach, Infrastructure Malta is now collaborating with several local councils and voluntary organisations to identify more areas for new trees. In Santa Lucija, this year the agency planted over 1,000 trees in 11 streets. Through similar collaborations, the agency added some 145 trees in Attard and Balzan. Infrastructure Malta is planting another 580 trees in these two localities and in Birkirkara, in and around the arterial road corridor it is upgrading through the Central Link Project.”

Many of the new trees planted during the last three months are in landscaping strips and other green zones along existing arterial and secondary roads or new roads being

Infrastructure Malta said that its arborists are also are choosing the trees for each site out of a selection of over 30 indigenous tree species including tamarisk, olives, cypress, European dwarf palms, lentisk, holm oaks, Aleppo pines, myrtle, sandarac gum trees, carobs and other species.   

Infrastructure Malta’s Chief Executive Officer, Fredrick Azzopardi explained that even when planning new roads, the agency’s architects were always trying to optimise the available spaces to allocate as much space for landscaping and afforestation as possible.

“We’re not simply making up for trees that need to be transplanted or removed due to new projects by planting the minimum quantities requested by the environmental authorities. We’re topping up these amounts with hundreds of more trees so that these areas will be greener than before, and our infrastructure will be even more sustainable. We’re also making sure to continue taking care of the new trees and their surroundings for several years,” he said.

Azzopardi said that this commitment, and through the air quality improvements of other investments such as the Junction Project and the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project, the agency was establishing itself as the government entity implanting the “most beneficial and effective plan for a better environment in Malta. ”

Infrastructure Malta has come in for strong criticism after several road projects resulted in the loss of trees.