50,000 cedar trees a witness to Cyprus history

One of the rarest and emblematic trees of the Mediterranean, the Cyprus Cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) is a living witness to the natural and cultural history of the island, the forestry department’s Thomas Kyriacou said on Sunday.

The endemic species is “found mainly in the Cedar Valley and at the top of Tripylos, in the Paphos Forest, while there is also a significant cluster in Madari,” he said.

The total distribution of the species does not exceed 300 hectares, of which only 100 form pure forests. In the rest of the areas, the cedar coexists with pines and other trees.

Its population is currently estimated at around 50,000, from young plants to centuries-old trees. Despite its relatively small range, the cedar habitat is considered extremely important and has been included in the Natura 2000 network.

As a result of this, Kyriakou said the department “implements a comprehensive protection framework for the species”.

Cedar, he added, “is covered by national forest legislation”.

“The future of the Cyprus Cedar depends on our own actions,” he said, adding that constant vigilance, proper management and active participation of society are required, so that this unique species can be handed down intact to the next generations.

The biggest threat to the species remains forest fires.

“The limited spread of cedar means that an extensive fire could cause irreparable damage,” Kyriacou said. For this reason a permanent fire lookout station operates at the top of Tripylos.

Competition with the rough pine, which grows faster and fights for the same resources, is also important.

At the same time, he said, climate change is aggravating the situation with prolonged droughts and extreme temperatures making it difficult for the population to regenerate naturally, while low genetic diversity reduces the species’ resistance to diseases and pests.

As a result, the Cedar of Cyprus has been classified as ‘Vulnerable’ in the Red Book of Flora of Cyprus.

The value of cedar is not limited to its role in nature; its wood has always been valuable due to its density and characteristic aroma. In Cyprus it was used in woodcarving and ecclesiastical art, for the construction of icons, iconostasis and other sacred objects.

In a wider historical context, the cedars of the Eastern Mediterranean have been used since antiquity in shipbuilding.

Today, however, this is a thing of the past, as the species is strictly protected and its value is now purely ecological, cultural and symbolic, Kyriacou said.