The 38 Aleppo Pine trees on L-Industrija Road, which were pronounced to be “dying” by Nationalist Party candidate Clifford Zahra Fenech last week on Facebook, have been replaced.

The reason why these saplings − planted in May this year between Mriehel and Santa Venera – were struggling to survive, remains unknown.

These pines have been taken back to the nursery and are being “cared for” in order to be replanted as part of a future tree planting project by Sicilville Landscaping Malta contractors – who were contracted by Infrastructure Malta following a call for tenders in 2019.

“These saplings were not destroyed or left to die,” an IM spokesperson told The Malta Independent.

This species of trees was selected for this new roadside landscaping strip as it was identified as being the most suitable for the area’s ground conditions by the contractor's experienced tree planters, the IM spokesperson said.

In a bid to “increase the chances of survival of newly planted saplings”, Infrastructure Malta told this newsroom that in 2019 they introduced a concept whereby they don’t just 'buy' a tree, as happened in the past, but implement a long-term care programme.

This ensures that the contractors – who are instructed by arborists and other environmental experts − take care of the trees before getting paid, which is “unlike planting contracts in the past which were not linked to maintenance and watering agreements,” noted the spokesperson. 

Infrastructure Malta estimated that the watering and upkeep of trees, including pruning, staking and cleaning, is estimated to cost an average of €24 per tree, every year.