357 trees to be retained, 107 to be transplanted owing to Marsalforn road works
All the trees have been marked in exercise with Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex
357 trees and shrubs will be retained but a further 107 will have to be transplanted because of works on widening the road between Victoria and Marsalforn and the incorporation of a cycle lane.
Din l-Art Ħelwa Għawdex said its volunteers had been involved in an exercise with architects from the Ministry for Gozo to mark the trees which will be preserved and those which will be transplanted.
The NGO said the original plan envisaged the removal of nearly 200 trees to make way for a wide bicycle lane along the entire stretch of road. However, a revised route drawn by the ministry’s architects will see the lane use adjacent rural roads wherever possible. In the central section of the road, where such rural roads are not available, the bicycle lane will be incorporated into the existing carriageway. As this section is already relatively wide enough, the number of trees to be removed will be minimal.
The 357 trees and shrubs that will be retained were marked at their base with a biodegradable yellow ecological spray which will naturally fade within approximately two years A further 107 have been marked with a similar orange-coloured spray, indicating those that will be transplanted. Some of them bear an orange question mark, denoting mature specimens for which transplantation will be attempted, despite the low likelihood of survival.