Are there cedar trees in lebanon

Since the late s, infant cedar sawflies have been eating away at the forest in Tannourine, as well as in several other natural reserves in northern Lebanon. They mate in spring and lay their eggs on the cedar tree trunks, where grubs hatch and feast on cedar needles. In the past, the larvae would then head back into the ground to hibernate for up to three or four years, before emerging again as adult sawflies with wings. As the ground becomes less cold and humid in winter, sawflies are now springing out of the earth every year, and in larger numbers.

Temperatures in Tannourine have risen by two degrees Celsius in the past 30 years and there is less snow than before, Nemer says. In , the authorities managed to keep the pest in check by spraying insecticides from a helicopter.

With chemical pesticides now banned, park authorities have resorted to a more natural, though less efficient treatment: injecting a fungus into the ground to kill the sleeping grubs. They are directly tied to a warming, drying climate. Throughout history, the cedars of Lebanon have been prized for buildings and boats, chopped down for temples in ancient Egypt, Jerusalem and beyond. So while climate change did not start the assault on the cedars, it could be the death blow.

Only 17 square kilometers of cedars remain, in scattered groves. Some believe that patch was where the resurrected Jesus revealed himself to his followers, said Antoine Jibrael Tawk, an author of books on the cedars. The Lebanon cedar, a distinct species known scientifically as Cedrus libani, grows mainly here and in Turkey.

The trees germinate in late winter because they need a freeze, preferably with snow. This year, winter was mild. It was early April, and cedar seedlings were beginning to pop up from the soil. Earlier, they risk dying in cold snaps and are more vulnerable to insects.

Abu Ali said. A generation ago, it typically rained or snowed days a year in the mountains. High up, snow stayed on the ground for three to four months. This past winter, there were just 40 days of rain and a only month of snow cover. And it is unclear, he added, which of the species that usually live alongside the cedars will survive higher up, further changing the ecosystem.

A study suggested that if the climate warms at expected rates, no more cedars will thrive in the Shouf, because the mountains there are not high enough. While some Lebanese specialists view that prediction as overly dire, they agree the cedars face an emergency. The insect was unknown to scientists until , when Nabil Nemer, a Lebanese entomologist identified it as the cause of the mysterious blight that hit Tannourine the year before, killing swaths of the forest.

Called to investigate, Dr. Nemer discovered that the culprit was the sawfly, which buries itself in the ground in the winter. It had never been noticed before because its life cycle initially did not interfere with the cedars. But with earlier snowmelt, the insects emerged earlier, laying their eggs in time for larvae to eat new cedar shoots.

Nemer said. From to alone, he said, the insects killed 7. The discovery of the sawfly spurred the creation of the Tannourine reserve. To protect the trees, scientists are using new methods to fight the insect with fungi that exist naturally in the forest and can kill the larvae.

The majestic cedars of Lebanon are facing ruin. A blackened dead cedar tree in Lebanon. The Cedar Forest of ancient Mesopotamian religion appears in several sections of the Epic of Gilgamesh, according to Wikipedia. And the Lebanon Cedar is mentioned times in the Bible. Environmental artist and designer Pablo Solomon. The catch is, you need fresh water of course this is not all true as the oceans absorb most of the CO2 and release most of the oxygen. But in general, more greenery on the dry earth would solve the problem.

The Cedars of Lebanon — and other trees—would grow again with proper reforestation. Bhamdoun Residence. Family-Friendly Home in Greater Beirut. Zen Lifestyle Villa.

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