Exact statistics do not exist on the area of Iran’s forests, but current stats do indicate a process of destruction in Iran’s forests. Over the past five decades, the country’s forest area has dropped from about 18 million hectares to 12.4 million hectares while the northern forest area has dropped from about 3.4 million hectares to 1.8 million hectares.
Forest protection is very challenging in Iran. Natural factors include low rainfall, drought, as well as the existence of various pests and diseases. On the other hand, the presence of micro-organisms is another factor threatening the forest and green spaces in Iran.
Human factors also play a very important role in destroying Iran’s forests and desertification. The conversion of forests to agricultural land, razing down forests and the irregular extraction of forest resources is another important factor in the destruction of Iranian forests. Along with these factors, there are also numerous fire hazards, some of which are caused by humans. The lack of adequate facilities for combating forest fires and the lack of special helicopters have also led to a slowdown in forest fire control.
