We are supposed to be living in a time when most people are aware of the importance of living in a clean environment, protecting ourselves from the damaging rays of the sun, breathing clean air and making sure the next generation finds a world that reflects the good work and the wise decisions made by their ancestors.

All the above are locked up in one beautiful gift that nature has given us: trees.

Trees give shade to our streets, piazzas and public gardens.

They provide us with oxygen, and where there are trees there is also rain.

Unfortunately, the mentality seems to be that trees must be chopped for no reason.

They are sacrificed to construction when they can easily be spared or replaced by some fragile twig in the hope that someday it will grow large.

So why chop down the large trees in the first place? What good is a bench in a public garden where all the shade is gone, as at Villa Rundle?

So many trees have disappeared in Gozo. Now there was even talk of removing the ones in Independence Square, Victoria.

I hate to think that someone is making a fortune on firewood.

When are we going to realise the damage we are causing by getting rid of trees?

One of the things that impresses me most in cities across Europe is the huge number of lush trees lining the streets.

Leave the trees in Malta alone. Let them grow lush and beautiful.

If the person who is giving the orders is a ‘tree hater’ he’d better clean up his act or please step aside and let someone who loves nature take over, letting us enjoy whatever is left of our trees and their benefits.