Vouchers for the tree-planting initiative have started to be issued to the first group of beneficiaries who successfully completed the verification process by last week.

During the “Family in the Park” family event held at Minden Grove in Ta’ Qali, the first beneficiaries were invited to collect their trees. The event also provided an opportunity for families and children to get involved in the initiative, while beneficiaries were able to meet Project Green officials and tree suppliers and discuss their care and maintenance.

“When we announced this scheme to plant more than one hundred thousand trees in our country, we had not imagined there would be such strong interest. This initiative has now entered another phase, as the first beneficiaries are receiving these trees to be planted in different places around the country, so that step by step we will have delivered these trees to all those who showed interest,” said Environment Minister Miriam Dalli during the event.

Eligible applicants, namely those who have more than one tumolo of land, who applied for more than forty-five trees and meet the eligibility criteria, may redeem these vouchers from a number of partner suppliers and receive the trees free of charge.

At the start of this week alone, vouchers amounting to 13,000 trees were issued. The issuing of vouchers will continue in the coming weeks as more applicants complete the verification process.

The first group of participants has already started collecting trees after redeeming the voucher, marking the initial stage of implementation of this nationwide effort. The initiative aims to encourage landowners across Malta and Gozo to contribute to increasing tree cover and promoting sustainable land use through the planting of both productive and non-productive trees.

The Expression of Interest for Participation in the Tree-Planting Initiative was launched in October 2025, when close to 2,000 individuals expressed interest. Of these, around 900 people indicated that they had more than one tumolo of land available. Subsequently, the first beneficiaries who met the eligibility criteria began receiving the first vouchers. The 1,100 individuals who indicated that they have less than one tumolo of land will undergo evaluation and will start receiving their vouchers in the following weeks.

The trees in this initiative include both productive and non-productive species to ensure sustainable land use. The list of trees, as well as the list of tree suppliers, can be found on Project Green’s website at www.projectgreen.mt.

The initiative, aimed at supporting agroforestry and climate resilience, will remain open until the end of next year, with preference given to those applicants who had expressed interest in last year’s expression of interest. Anyone interested who did not express interest last October may still apply by visiting the website. Meanwhile, the second phase of the scheme will come into effect in the coming weeks, as individuals who had less than one tumolo of land and requested fewer than forty-five trees begin to be contacted.

For more information or assistance in filling in the application, one may call the servizz.gov Freephone 153 (Ext. 20) or send an email to treeplanting@projectgreen.mt.