The drought has caused serious damage to Cyprus’ forests: according to Savvas Ezekiel, Director of the Forestry Department, 40 percent of the trees in the cedar valley have already withered.
Speaking on CyBC radio on Friday, he warned that the situation was unprecedented and threatened the island’s oldest forests.
Forest Department estimates show that mature cedars and pines are dying after several years of minimal rainfall.
Young seedlings can die in a few weeks without water during a heat wave, and large trees, although more resilient, weaken after several dry years.
Ezekiel said that if there is another dry winter in Cyprus, “we will lose many centuries-old trees,” adding that prolonged drought will affect forests across the island.
According to the Department, there has not been such a drought in Cyprus since 2008.
Significant losses were recorded in areas such as Kakomalis and Mahiras, where the Turkish pine (Pinus brutia) and the endemic golden oak (Quercus alnifolia) are drying out rapidly.
In Akamas, the drying up of Jerusalem pine (Pinus halepensis) trees in the depths of the forest has been recorded, while the wetter coastal outskirts have not yet been affected.
The tall black pines (Pinus nigra) in Troodos have so far remained stable due to lower temperatures and humidity, and the forests of Cape Greco are also holding up due to the coastal microclimate.
Ezekiel stressed that the drought has affected natural springs and reduced river flow, leaving birds and other wildlife without access to water.
He warned of a serious risk of an increase in the number of fires due to the large amount of dry biomass accumulating in forested areas, saying that when everything dries up, “the fire will have nowhere to stop.”
To reduce the fuel load and support mountain households, the Forest Department will issue a circular next week on increasing annual firewood harvesting rates.
For high—altitude communities, the quota will increase from 10 to 12 cubic meters per family, and for communities located at a lower altitude – from 4 to 5 cubic meters.
Charalambos Theofempoutou, a former leader of the Green Party, said that the drying up of olives, carob trees and pines is consistent with scientific evidence showing that repeated drought is the main cause of the mass death of trees in ecosystems.
The representative of the Department of Water Resources Development (WDD), Yorgos Kazantzis, said Cyprus cannot easily replenish natural water sources and must continue to rely on dams and desalination.
He added that artificial rain or cloud seeding technology is unlikely to become widespread in Cyprus due to difficulties with cloud management and the associated risks of hail or flooding.
https://russiancyprus.news/news/society/drought-threatens-cyprus-ancient-forests-officials-warn/
P.S. The last thought is not based on many years of international experience in cloud seeding and related statistics. Many innovations in Cyprus are faced with the incompetence and bone-deep thinking of officials, and this is sad. As a result, forests, wild animals and birds are dying, and the island is losing its uniqueness and attractiveness, quickly turning into a desert. 🙁
