Forestry in Syria

Forest resources in Syria are in need of study and conservation.^{[1][better source needed]} The wooded area of the country is variously reported as approximately 190,000 hectares (1.0 per cent)^[1] or 450,000 hectares (2.4 per cent).^[2]

Pinus brutia woodland in the al-Ansariyah mountains

The principal woodland trees are Pinus brutia, the Turkish pine; Abies cilicica, the Cilician fir; Cedrus libani, the cedar of Lebanon; Cupressus sempervirens, the Mediterranean cypress; Pinus halepensis, the Aleppo pine; Quercus coccifera, the kermes oak; Quercus calliprinos, the Palestine oak; Quercus cerris sp. pseudocerris, the Turkey oak; Quercus infectoria; and Castanea sativa, the common chestnut.^[1][2]

Risks due to natural disasters, unexploded ordnance, arson, & anthropogenic climate change

Forests and forest resources in Syria are at grave risk due to forest fires and globally occurring manmade climate change. A large-scale forest fire in Latakia in 2025 has destroyed numerous forested groves which span the hilly terrain of coastal Syria & neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon and also Turkey.^[3] Such large-scale wildfires as witnessed in Latakia and neighbouring Hatay. Firefighting crews, volunteers and The Syrian Civil Defence Forces, the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. The government has also reported difficulty in battling these wildfires due to the noted occurrence of unexploded ordnance in some of the areas affected.^[4][5][6]

Such events will aggravate the Syrian economy as it is still grappling with a drought and severe depletion of fresh water hydrological resources due to non-maintenance and next to no upkeep of hydrological infrastructure. Most land irrigation in Syria and river water management are largely unsustainable hence droughts are getting more frequent with longer duration.^[7][8][9] This is further exacerbated by arson allegedly committed by former Assad remnants.^[10]

A report from June 2025, showed that since the Israeli invasion of Syria in 2024, the Israelis have deforested large portions of the Quneitra governorate.^[11] Hundreds of acres of trees have been cut down by Israel including the Jabaatha Nature Reserve and Kudna forest have been destroyed.^[11] The deforestation threatens wildlife and biodiversity in the region.^[11]

See also

• Ajloun Forest Reserve (Jordan, near Syria)
• Cedars of God (Lebanon)
• Dibeen Forest Reserve (Jordan, near Syria)