In the mountains of the southern Peloponnese, researchers found vast areas of Greek fir turning brown and dying beyond recent burn zones. Dimitrios Avtzis, a senior forest researcher, said the scale of loss was unlike anything he had seen before, prompting him to alert the environment ministry.
Wildfires remain a major threat, but experts say prolonged drought is now the key driver. Greece has seen steadily declining rainfall and winter snow, reducing vital moisture reserves in highland soils. Weakened by drought, fir trees are becoming vulnerable to bark beetles, which bore under the bark and disrupt water and nutrient flow. Once beetle populations reach outbreak levels, control becomes extremely difficult.
Similar patterns are emerging elsewhere in southern Europe, suggesting the die-off is part of a wider ecological shift linked to climate breakdown, rather than a local anomaly.
Scientists stress that Mediterranean forests can recover, but regeneration is slow and uneven, often taking years. They warn that without coordinated government action and sustained funding, fir forests could face repeated and escalating losses.
“The knowledge and tools exist,” Avtzis said. “What matters now is whether we act – because what we’re seeing will only become more frequent and more intense.”
