Lebanon's historical pines are dying one cone at atime

A quiet crisis is unfolding in the southern Lebanon heartland, where once there were many and tall pine trees. The trees are shriveled and the cones have dried up. A forest that once provided a vital lifeline to entire communities is now under siege.

Since years, farmers in Bkassine Forest have seen their pine yields decline. Initially, farmers blamed the seasonal weather change. In 2015, scientists confirmed that many had feared: that an invasive insect was destroying the pine cones, which produce Lebanon's prized Pine Nuts.

"It is not only the nuts," Dr. Nabil Nmer, a forest-health expert at Holy Spirit University of Kalik (USEK), said. This insect attacks cones for three years. It does not just reduce productivity; it destroys it.

According to Nemer, in some cases up to 82% (or more) of the cone's seeds pods can be left as empty shells. The trees that have been weakened by climate change are especially vulnerable.

Leptoglossus westernis is a North American insect that likely came to Lebanon on untreated wooden pallets.

According to his research, it has spread from the Mediterranean to Turkey as well as other areas.

The livelihoods of the Bkassine Reserve, the Middle East’s largest productive forest, are threatened. Other parts of Lebanon have the trees, but they are not grown commercially.

The family of Miled Hareb has survived for decades on the bounty of the forest. This is no longer true.

This work has been passed on to me. "This work was passed down to me. I built my home with it and raised a family with it." "But then, the trees died and our way of living also," Hareb said.

The harvesting of pine cones can be a difficult task. Workers balance on thin branches and climb tall trees without safety equipment, using narrow ladders.

Injury is common, and wages have decreased along with the harvest. Nabil Assad is a Syrian worker who has been harvesting pine cones in Lebanon since more than a decade. He still remembers the days when 250 pine-pickers were working simultaneously in Bkassine.

Now there are only 20-30 people. He said, "There's no more work."

A DWINDLING Ecosystem

The majority of Lebanon's forests of pine trees were planted more than 100 years ago. The older trees still have a productive lifespan, but climate change has made them more susceptible to pests.

Nemer stated that "a healthy tree is able to fight back." "But when it is thirsty and hungry, it has no defense."

U.N. officials have stressed the importance to protect forests from pests, diseases, and other threats, describing them as "the planet’s most powerful natural defense".

According to the U.N. Development Programme, Bkassine Forest was once home around 100,000 productive pin trees.

Nemer explained that the number of trees has fluctuated over time. Pest infestations and years of climate stress have reduced them, and efforts to replant were made to compensate for those losses. However, no new studies provide accurate figures.

Wood-boring beetles also kill pines, in addition to the cone eating insect. The forest floor is littered with dead trees, which attracts pests and accelerates the decline.

The political and economic turmoil that has characterized Lebanon for decades also took its toll. State-run forest management was abandoned after the brutal civil war that ravaged the country from 1975 to 1990.

Since the economic collapse of 2019, illegal logging has increased.

Market prices are rising as productivity falls, but very few Lebanese have the money to pay for them. Five years ago, a kilogram of pinenuts cost around $65; today it costs nearly $100. Families, restaurants and even supermarkets have switched out pine nuts with cheaper sliced almonds to add crunchiness to Lebanese dishes.

The efforts to fight back were slow. The Lebanese Army controls helicopters that spray pesticides. The delays in the logistics mean that treatments are often missed during the crucial window when insects lay eggs.

The agriculture ministry of Lebanon announced a nationwide spraying campaign in August. Nemer warns, however, that it will not be enough without a wider strategy that includes farmers themselves.

Through training programs run by USEK and FAO, as well as the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture and United Nations Environment Programme, farmers in Bkassine are learning how to identify pests, manage forests and report outbreaks.

Nemer stated, "We must manage the forest in its entirety." "This isn’t a vegetable garden. This is not a garden. "It's not a farm. It's an ecosystem that is alive." (Editing by Maya Gebeily & Andrew Heavens).

(source: Reuters)