In Greece’s Peloponnese mountains, large areas of Greek fir forest are turning brown and dying even where wildfires have not reached, alarming scientists who say a complex climate-driven crisis is unfolding.
Researchers investigating a spring fire discovered vast stretches of dead and dying firs far beyond the burned areas. The cause, experts say, is not fire alone but a dangerous combination of prolonged drought, declining winter snowfall and insect outbreaks. Reduced snow cover has cut a key source of slow-release moisture, leaving trees weakened and vulnerable.
These stressed firs are increasingly being attacked by bark beetles, which bore under the bark and disrupt water and nutrient flow. Once beetle populations surge, outbreaks become extremely hard to control. Similar patterns are now being seen across southern Europe, suggesting a wider ecological shift rather than a local problem.
Scientists say Mediterranean forests can regenerate, but recovery is slow and uneven, often taking several years. Researchers are urging the Greek government to act quickly, fund forest protection measures and apply existing scientific knowledge before the damage becomes more widespread.
“There is no time to be pessimistic,” one expert said. “But what we’re seeing will become more frequent and more intense if we don’t respond now.”
