Green Groups Press Government to End Destruction of Lebanon's Forests
1/14/98
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Title: Green Groups Press Government to End Destruction of Lebanon's
Forests
Source: The Daily Star
Status: Copyrighted, contact source to reprint
Date: 1/14/98
Byline: Michel Abdullah
Green groups press government to end rape of north's vanishing forests
The destruction of ancient forests in northern Lebanon has continued
despite conservation laws adopted by various governments over the last few
decades.
Environmentalists in the Akkar and Hermel regions are concerned that laws
prohibiting the cutting down of trees are being totally ignored because
authorities are unwilling to implement them. Every winter, lumberjacks
chop down trees that are more than a century old to sell as firewood, and
electric saws destroy in hours trees that have taken hundreds of years to
grow.
The "juniperus excelsa," a tree which used to be abundant in the Akkar and
Hermel regions, is now threatened with extinction because of extensive
harvesting over the last two decades.
Known to survive only at high altitudes, the tree can grow very large and
is used for firewood because its tough interior makes it unsuitable for
furniture or other wood products. Also, it does not require a lot of
water so it can grow in the most arid regions.
Although located in one of the country's most remote areas, the once thick
forest in the upper regions of Dinnieh is being badly damaged with
electric saws and axes.
The president of the Council for Protecting the Environment, Youssef Tawq,
warned that juniperus excelsa could become extinct within a few years if
the government does not take tough measures to protect those trees that
still remain.
"All efforts to protect the Akkar forest have been unsuccessful. In 15-20
years this forest will disappear and these mountains will be devoid of
greenery," he told The Daily Star.
But Mr. Tawq has developed a method to grow juniperus excelsa seeds in his
greenhouse. "I watch these shoots grow slowly, centimeter by centimeter,
while fools are entering the forest to chop down century-old trees. Would
anyone burn his wooden windows or doors for heat?" he asked.
His anger is justified because the ban on felling trees is not respected
in the Dinnieh region, he said.
Environmentalists have asked the government to reinforce the Forest
Rangers' station in the region with additional personnel and equipment.
"The government should increase the number of Rangers and provide them
with the equipment they need, such as four-wheel drive vehicles, to
protect such rare trees," said Mohammed Fatfat, president of the
Environment Supporters in Dinnieh.