Gift Tree Planting Project – Greece

Project Description

The Gifted Tree’s planting project is around Mount Pieria, Greece in order to face climate change. The project is located in the heart of a vast pine forest of more than 50,000 acres, mainly composed of native Scots pine. The geographical context of this forest is exceptional because, as a high-altitude species, Scots pines generally form the last tree line in mountain ranges in Greece. They are of considerable ecological and economic importance, but climate change makes the survival of Scots pine in these areas uncertain. For more than 30 years, some parts of the forest have been showing signs of advanced dieback, caused by severe and repeated attacks mainly by fungal pests. These attacks are all the more severe as the trees are weakened by repeated droughts and heat waves. In addition, the area was largely grazed in the past by semi-wild goat herds, causing significant pressure on the natural regeneration of the species. Arborist have been conducting encouraging experiments for several years to encourage natural regeneration by recovering and germinating seeds and young pine seedlings from the surrounding adult trees. This method, combined with the fencing of these areas to protect them from the teeth of goats, allows the Scots pine to regenerate.