It is true, Malta has a higher quota of national species of trees than many bigger countries.

There are 60 species of Maltese trees, 77% of which are rare or threatened.

In some cases, there is only one example of a particular species and some of the experts have been searching for years for these and have still not found them.

The government has now issued a list of tree protected areas which, apart from other designations such as Natura 2000 sites, offer another layer of protection to these trees.

A visitor to the island may be forgiven if he does not particularly note the presence of trees in Malta, but a presentation given yesterday by Mepa officials shows the huge variety of trees in such a small and arid island.

There was a time, as witnessed by Arab writer Al Himayari who was writing towards the end of the Muslim occupation of Malta (870 – 1090 AD), when Malta was full of trees.

But then trees were cut down to provide wood for fire and for furniture and Malta became arid. They were also used to build ships for the Knights.

Today, however, for all the widespread development, the amount of trees (some planted, others growing naturally) is on the increase.

Darrin Stevens, Mepa’s official on the subject, said that by 1989 for instance, there was only one example left of Żafżafa l-kbira (willow) but then examples have been planted at Mepa itself along with other protected species.

There are in Malta, what may be called ‘forest remains’ denoting that at some point there must have been forests on the island. The presence of these ‘forest remains’ are indicated by the presence of mushrooms, fungi and particular invertebrates. These, in turn, indicate the presence in the area, at some point in the past, of ballut (holm oaks) and żnuber (Aleppo pines).

Żnuber was almost eradicated in Malta by mid-19th century, but was then imported and re-introduced.

Malta’s ballut are unique because of the size of the trees and also because some of them may be hundreds, some even thousands of years old. There are such trees in Wardija, in a place called Il-Ballut. It is to be noted that most of the trees in Malta grow in the north of the island and around Mdina. One reason is that repeated pirate raids must have burned down trees in the other areas. There are also more trees in Malta than there are in Gozo or Comino.

There are other places in Malta called Ballut – one is near Għajn Tuffieħa and there is also Il-Ballut tal-Imġiebaħ.

There seems to have been four forests (boskijiet) in Malta.

Another area which has been protected for its trees is known as maquis (makkja) where trees such as ħarrub (carob) and lewż (almond trees) proliferate.

Malta’s national tree is is-siġra tal-għargħar (Sandarac gum tree). Such a tree is only to be found in Spain, around Cartagena, and in Malta such as densely in Wied il-Għasel (near Mosta) and in the area between Ġnejna, Mġarr and Mellieħa which contains 90% of all such trees in Malta.

There are very old examples at Għajn Riħana and at Iċ-Ċagħaq, limits of Mġarr.

Another place where this tree can be found is Wied il-Faħam, near Għargħur. This is a fast growing tree and its seeds are borne by birds.

Another area that has been protected is classed as ‘riparian woodlands’ that is areas on the banks of streams, valleys and river systems. Trees that proliferate in such areas include the fraxxnu (ash trees), iż-żafżafa iż-żgħira (willow) and luq (white poplar).

The fraxxnu trees were almost eradicated in Malta but were regenerated by the Knights who imported them from Sicily and planted them in Buskett. Wied il-Luq, near Girgenti, is known from the luq trees there. Other examples may be found in Fiddien, Ġnien il-Kbir (part of Buskett) and San Blas.

Old groves which had originally been planted but then abandoned still have fruit growing in wild forms. There are Rummien (pomegranates) and Tuffieħ ta’ Belludja.

The oldest trees in Malta are those at Iż-Żebbuġ tal-Bidnija (the name may be derived from a particular form of olives – żebbuġ tal-bidni). These trees may be as old as 2,000 years. They are what is known as bgħula – that is, they were cut down at some point and grew up again.

Other authors have said the oldest trees in Malta are near Mġiebaħ, such as the tree that was set on fire some years back but Mr Stevens, while admitting these are old trees, still holds to his opinion that the ones at Iż-Żebbuġ tal-Bidnija are the oldest trees.

Many species of trees we think as endemic to our countryside have been imported: Some have adapted to the Maltese setting but others are invasive. Qasab (reeds) were imported to Malta by the Romans while the Bajtar tax-Xewk we see all around us were imported by the Knights from Asia. Lemons and oranges were also imported.

Tree protected areas which have now been given legal protection:

Gozo

Għajn Barrani

Il-Qattara

Wied Binġemma

Comino

Il-Qala ta’ Santa Marija

Il-Ħazina

Malta

Il-Ballut tal-Imġiebaħ

Wied il-Miżieb area

Il-Ballut tal-Wardija

Iż-Żebbuġ tal-Bidnija

Iċ-Ċagħaq

In-Nigret area

Wied il-Għasel

Wied il-Faħam

Wied tal-Baħrija

Wied Għollieqa

Il-Wied tal-Fiddien

Wied il-Ħut

Triq il-Wied tal-Imsida

L-Imtaħleb area

Wied ir-Rum

Ta’ Baldu/Wied Ħażrun

Ġnien il-Kbir, il-Buskett

Wied il-Girgenti

San Biagio

Iċ-Ċimiterju tal-Addolorata

Wied Qirda

Ta’ Bloq, Għar Ħanżir

Il-Maqluba

Wied Moqbol

Wied il-Ħut

Tal-Virgi