In the mountains of the southern Peloponnese, Greece’s normally resilient fir forests are dying in large numbers – even in areas untouched by fire. Researchers say a dangerous combination of climate pressures is driving an unprecedented ecological crisis.
When forest scientist Dimitrios Avtzis surveyed a recent wildfire area, he found vast swathes of dead and dying firs well beyond the burn zone. “The scale of the damage was profound,” he said, prompting an urgent warning to the environment ministry.
Wildfires have long shaped Mediterranean forests, but experts say conditions have shifted dramatically in recent years. Severe, prolonged drought and a sharp decline in winter snow – Greece has lost an average of 1.5 days of snow cover per year since the 1990s – are weakening trees and drying soils.
That stress has opened the door to bark beetles, which burrow beneath the bark and disrupt trees’ ability to transport water and nutrients. Once beetle populations reach outbreak levels, they are extremely difficult to control. Similar infestations are now being observed across southern Europe, suggesting a wider climate-driven pattern.
There is some hope. Forest climatologist Nikos Markos says Mediterranean ecosystems can regenerate after fires, though recovery may take years. But Avtzis warns that without coordinated government action and funding, the losses will accelerate.
“We have the knowledge and the scientists,” he said. “What we’re seeing now will only become more frequent and more intense if we don’t act.”
