Anyone passing through Mġarr lately may have noticed the terraced slopes planted with Mediterranean evergreen trees, on the way down to Ġnejna Bay.

Data on three different species of cypress plantedon the clay-based valley slopeis being compared to that of another cypress grove planted in different soil, close to Manikata.

Trees in the second plantation have been planted in shallow, varied soil on a strip of abandoned land known asBallut (suggesting an earlier presence of oak trees which have since disappeared).

Forest fires are on the increase in the Mediterranean. Cypress fire barriers comprising a 25 to 50-metre strip could be effective against the control of surface fires and do not require high maintenance to keep them free from vegetation.

Research carried out on the physical and morphological properties of the cypress tree has determined it as a ‘fire resistant’ species when compared to more flammable trees in the environment.

Pine trees, for example, react to the intense heat of a fire by shooting seeds out from their cones for quite a distance. This defence mechanism could contribute to the spread of fire by opening new fire fronts.

The Mġarr council is an active partner in the regional Cypfire project researching cypress trees and their value as low-flammability fire barriers.

At a seminar organised by the council, Paolo Raddi, general leader of the Cypfire project, explained that its aim was to demonstrate how a strip of cypress trees can prevent, control and limit fire damage.

His associate, Roberto Danti of the Institute of Plant Protection (part of the Italian national research council), spoke on the importance of controlling can­ker, which cracks bark, exposing highly flammable resin.

Over years of research, following earlier Interreg pro­gramme projects Cypmed and Medcypre, the low flammability of the cypress tree was linked to its thin bark being less porous, lending it a high water content.

The research projects have yielded a canker-resistant cy­press clone that is now being studied in the Cypfire project.

Dense foliage in cypress trees helps cut down on air flow, which makes less oxygen available to fires. In contrast, a more open crown on other types of trees means more air flow to feed fires.

Cypress ‘litter’ under the trees is also more compact, having less air in it than pine tree litter on the ground.

An effective cypress firebreak must be staggered so as not to create wind corridors.

Firemen of the Civil Protection Department responded to 968 calls to put out fires last year.

During a dry summer such as last year’s they deal with 20 to 30 fires a day.

In particular, carob trees tend to go up like a torch, since they are highly flammable.

20-30

The number of fires the Civil Protection Department deals with each day during a dry summer

Operations manager An­thony Pisani would like to see dry trees at Buskett removed to reduce fire hazard, although the department’s request has been met with “resistance”.

He explained that Buskett Gardens is managed by Environmental Landscapes Consortium, Miżieb grove by the Hunters Federation and treesat Delimara are under thegovernment’s wing.

Getting water to the fires is one of the main problems for the CPD. A fire truck’s full load of 4,000 litres can be used up in just two minutes, taking 20 minutes to refill.

“Instead of wasting time sending fire trucks to fill up, we call water bowser contrators and they deliver to the site of the fire where we refill in a safe area.”

Buskett requires particular attention, being the location of the President’s palace where surveillance cameras have recently been placed to respond swiftly when the first sign of smoke is observed in the area.

Semi-natural rural landscapes of Malta was the topic dealtwith by Louis Cassar of the University’s Institute of Earth Systems. He referred to the Knights of Malta who wanted to “recreate the landscape of central Italy” when Buskett was originally laid out and planted.

Relevant to the role of the cypress tree as a windbreaker, Antoine Vella from the same institute spoke on how various local trees adapt to wind.

Windbreaks slow down drying and erosion of the soil while preventing desertification. The dense architecture of the cypress tree can slow wind speed by 70 per cent.

Spanish tree expert Bernabe Moya presented a gallery of monumental cypress trees, with the oldest known on a caravan route in Iran. At 14 metres girth, it is thought to be around 4,000 years old.

He also mentioned that the cypress tree at San Anton Gardens should be classified as a national monument.

A major problem with the planting of eucalyptus trees in the Mediterranean is that they act like sponges and can even lower aquifer levels. They are difficult to replace with indigenous trees as they leave a dry soil once removed. However, a Spanish research project has successfully experimented with cypress trees adapted to replacing eucalyptus in Portugal.

Development of low-pollen varieties has reduced the hypo-allergenic factor in cypress. The tree’s timber is valued for its resistance to sea mollusk, and essential oil of cypress is a growing industry in Spain, France and Morocco.

Marie Louise Zammit, project officer for the Malta research unit at the Institute of Earth Systems, presented preliminary data gathered at the Ġnejna and Ballut sites.

Mġarr mayor Paul Vella said the council was hoping to plant more trees in the locality even though identifying possible sites was not an easy task.

Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Malta and Italy are research unit partners with Cypfire project associates in Tunisia, Israel and Turkey.

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