We at Eco Hvar regret the number of healthy trees which are cut down for Christmas decorations, then discarded to no purpose. We hope that the end of 2015 marks the beginning of a new era of responsibility on Hvar. Recycling must become a reality, having been a theoretical dream for far too many years.

The year starts with an energetic new initiative for trees: the planting of Hvar's autochthonous pines (pinus nigra var.dalmatica) during January and February under the project organized by the charity 'Održivi Otok' (Sustainable Island). Let's just hope these trees are well protected from Christmas marauders. A friend from the Woodlands Department once told me, with infinite sadness, of the time they had replanted an area with saplings, only to come across an otherwise upright member of society cutting one of them down for his Christmas festivities. The worst of it was that the fine for such theft is related to the size of the tree. The future value of the tree is not taken into account, even thought it is considered a threatened species. Thus the crime is reduced from the category of felony to misdemeanour. So hardly worth a prosecution...

If as many people as possible, especially youngsters, are engaged in the planting initiative, maybe they will have proper respect for Hvar's trees, one of the island's most beautiful and valuable assets.

© Vivian Grisogono 2016