Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546020
6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 31 JULY 2026 NEWS NGO Sigar closes second season with 65-olive-tree planting in Ghajnsielem SIĠAR, the Gozo-based voluntary organisation dedicated to green- ing the island one tree at a time, has concluded its second season with the planting of 65 olive trees in Għajnsielem in June, alongside local schoolchildren and the local council. The event capped a sea- son of tripling Siġar's cumulative impact since it planted its first tree in November 2024. Since inception, Siġar has now planted 133 trees across 16 plant- ing events, up from 36 trees at the same point last year, a 270% in- crease. Of those 133 trees, 131 are currently thriving, a survival rate the organisation credits to its em- phasis on aftercare. As part of the project, irrigation systems were installed at Xewkija and Nadur primary schools and at Fontana Local Council's gardens to ensure newly planted trees re- ceive proper watering, alongside ongoing manual watering and maintenance carried out by vol- unteers, schools and local councils long after each planting day. Siġar has also run 7 education visits and clean-ups with schools and youth groups across the island, including an organised visit for the EkoSkola group of Victoria Middle School to the Ministry for Gozo's Ta' Dawwara tree nursery and to the Argotti Botanic Gardens in Flori- ana, and now counts more than 10 community partners, including Gozo College schools in Nadur, Sannat, Victoria and Xewkija, local councils in Fontana, Għa- jnsielem, Nadur, Qala, Xagħra and Żebbuġ, and the Victoria and Xagħra Scout Groups. The season's planting events ranged from a pupil-led fig tree planting at the Primary and Spe- cial Unit in Sannat, to a "pocket forest" of ten indigenous trees planted by the Victoria Scout Group on their headquarters' rooftop, to Erasmus+ exchange students from Loreto planting trees in Għajnsielem. The season closed with its largest single plant- ing to date: 65 olive trees planted with Għajnsielem school pupils and the local council in June. Every tree Siġar plants is sourced from the Ministry for Gozo's Ta' Dawwara Nursery and is either indigenous to the Maltese islands or an archaeophyte species long part of Gozo's landscape and cul- ture, ranging from the Għargħar (Malta's national tree) to Carob, Olive, Almond and Judas trees. Trees are planted following Siġar's "right tree, right place, right way" approach, with a strong emphasis on irrigation, mulching, and long- term aftercare, and volunteers re- turn to every site to maintain the trees they plant. The organisation's work is sup- ported by the Environmental In- novation and Greening Directo- rate within the Ministry for Gozo, which provides trees, materials and operational support, and by corporate sponsors The Alfred Mizzi Foundation and the Gozo Regional Development Authority. "It's been a great second season for Siġar," said Siġar President Stéphane Croce. "What we're very happy about is the high survival rate of the trees we've planted, and the great collaboration we've had with schools and local councils. There's been an excellent team spirit throughout, and none of it would be possible without our sponsors, our volunteers, and our community partners." Malta's forest cover has grown from 1.1% in 2020 to 1.5% in 2025, according to Forest Europe's most recent State of Europe's Forests report, with over a quarter of that growth attributable to afforesta- tion and regeneration through planting and seeding. Siġar's mis- sion is to keep contributing to that trend, one Gozitan village at a time. Siġar is a registered voluntary organisation (VO/2518). More information, including its full 2026 Annual Report, is available at www.sigargozo.org or via si- gargozo@gmail.com. Follow Siġar on Facebook and Instagram at @ sigargozo. Since inception, Sigar has now planted 133 trees across 16 planting events, up from 36 trees at the same point last year