Drought is destroying Cyprus’ forests: 40% of trees in the Cedar Valley have already dried out

Years of drought are causing serious damage to Cyprus’ forests: according to the Department of Forests, around 40% of trees in the Cedar Valley have already dried out. The department’s director, Savvas Ezekiel, said the situation is unprecedented and threatens the island’s oldest forests.

According to foresters, mature cedars and pines — not only young saplings — have now begun to die. If Cyprus experiences another dry winter, the country “may lose many trees that are hundreds of years old.” The current drought is comparable in scale to 2008.

Severe losses have been recorded in the areas of Kakkomallis and Machairas, where Turkish pine (Pinus brutia) and the endemic golden oak (Quercus alnifolia) are drying rapidly.

The drought has also hit natural springs and rivers: wild birds and animals in some regions are left without access to water. With vegetation dried out, the risk of forest fires has increased sharply — large amounts of dry biomass are accumulating in the forests, and as foresters note, “when everything is dry, there is simply nowhere for the fire to stop.”

To reduce the “fuel load” and at the same time support families in the mountains, the Department of Forests will increase annual firewood quotas: for high-altitude communities — from 10 to 12 cubic metres per family, and for lowland ones — from 4 to 5 cubic metres.

Experts remind that repeated dry years are already leading to mass die-off of olive, carob and pine trees, while Cyprus’ natural water resources do not have time to recover — the country is increasingly dependent on reservoirs and desalinated sources.