In Greece’s Peloponnese mountains, large areas of once-resilient Greek fir forest are dying even where wildfires never reached. Researchers say the cause is a dangerous combination of climate-driven stresses rather than fire alone.
Forest scientist Dimitrios Avtzis first noticed the problem while surveying a routine post-fire site: vast patches of fir trees were brown and dead well beyond the burn area. The scale was unprecedented, prompting him to alert authorities. The culprit, experts say, is prolonged drought linked to climate breakdown, worsened by declining winter snowfall that once provided slow-release moisture.
Weakened by lack of water, the trees have become vulnerable to bark beetles, which bore under the bark and disrupt the flow of water and nutrients. Once beetle populations reach outbreak levels, they are extremely hard to control. Similar outbreaks are now being seen across southern Europe, suggesting a broader ecological shift rather than a local anomaly.
Scientists stress that Mediterranean forests can recover, but regeneration is slow and uneven, often taking years. Researchers are calling for urgent government action, funding and coordinated forest management to limit further losses. While there is cautious optimism, experts warn that without intervention, such die-offs are likely to become more frequent as the climate continues to warm.
