High in the mountains of Greece’s southern Peloponnese, vast areas of Greek fir forest are turning brown and dying – even where wildfires never reached. Researchers say the damage marks a worrying new phase in the climate crisis, driven not by fire alone but by a combination of prolonged drought, loss of snow cover and insect outbreaks.
Dimitrios Avtzis, a senior researcher at Greece’s Forest Research Institute, first raised the alarm after surveying a spring fire. Beyond the expected burn scars, he found extensive dieback in untouched areas. “There were hundreds of hectares of lost trees,” he said, far beyond anything he had seen before.
Scientists point to severe drought as the primary trigger. Greece has experienced steadily drier conditions and declining winter snowfall, reducing the slow-release moisture fir forests depend on. Weakened trees have then become vulnerable to bark beetles, insects that bore beneath the bark and disrupt water and nutrient flow. Once beetle populations surge, forests can collapse rapidly.
The problem is not unique to Greece. Similar patterns are emerging across southern Europe, suggesting a broader ecological shift linked to climate breakdown. While Mediterranean forests can regenerate after fire, experts warn recovery is slow and uncertain under current conditions.
Researchers say urgent government action and funding are needed to manage outbreaks and protect remaining forests. “We have the knowledge and the tools,” Avtzis said. “But what we’re seeing now will become more frequent and more intense if we don’t act.”
