The Infrastructure Ministry has unveiled plans to plant over one thousand native trees at Fort Rinella, in the wake of widespread criticism about trees being uprooted to make way for wider roads. 

The project is part of as part of a larger campaign to have 6,700 trees planted by the end of this year, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said on Wednesday. The afforestation project will cost €1 million in total. 

Authorities will plant the trees in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna.  

[attach id=761389 size="large" align="left" type="image"]A few of the 1,100 trees to be planted at Fort Rinella[/attach]

“We want our children to have spaces where they can play. We want to enjoy open spaces. We want our country to have lungs. But this means nothing if air quality continues to deteriorate because of congestion,” said Minister Borg.

'We work in silence' - minister

Dr Borg defended contentious plans to uproot trees as part of road widening projects in Mosta, Attard, Santa Luċija and elsewhere, arguing that people did not necessarily understand the damage that non-indigenous trees had on the local environment.

Video: Matthew Mirabelli

“I come from a rural zone and from a family of farmers and know very well the destruction non-native trees can cause. They are used to beautify the area but the environmental degradation they cause is immense.”

He further said that the ministry did not feel the need to brag about the environmental goals it was working towards.

“While others took to social media others to voice their concern, the ministry has in silence been planting trees in various locations round the island,” he explained.

Over 2,000 trees had already been planted in 13 locations around the island, he said.

Uprooting of Central Link trees momentarily on hold

A month after protests and uproar on social media regarding the Central Link project, a spokesman for Environment Minister José Herrera told Times of Malta he had temporarily hit the brakes on permits to remove hundreds of trees.

The Central Link road project to widen key roads linking Rabat to Mrieħel has proven extremely controversial, due to the plans requiring more than 500 trees to be uprooted and several hundred more transplanted. 

After discussions with the Environment and Resources Authority, Minister Herrera had prompted withholding the processing of permits to uproot trees as part of the Central Link project.

The report came after an enquiry by Times of Malta into whether Infrastructure Malta was pressing ahead with uprooting trees despite the Central Link project still being subject to an ongoing appeal before the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal.

Correction September 4: The entire afforestation project, which the Fort Rinella planted trees will form part of, will cost €1 million.

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