The rise in illegal logging across Syria has expanded beyond forests to include fruit-bearing trees, such as olives, almonds, pomegranates, and apples, in multiple regions. Perpetrators cite fuel shortages, lack of production resources, and the need to heat their homes as justification, but this has come at the expense of Syria’s rich natural forests, particularly in cold-prone areas in the south during winter.
According to Mamdouh al-Barbour, a media activist in southern Syria, the Umm al-Rumman forest project, once home to over a million trees—including pine and cypress—has been devastated by logging and alleged collusion with loggers. “No one cared about the consequences of these successive crimes against natural forests in Suwayda,” he told The New Arab. Similar destruction has been reported in areas like al-Kafr, Wadi al-Madhlem, and Dahr al-Jabal. A local website quoted an agricultural expert stating that over one million trees have been felled between Umm al-Rumman, Hout, and al-Munaydhra in the south, predominantly in the last two years. Notably, 40-year-old olive trees in Salim, north of Sweida, have also been destroyed.
In Daraa, a farmer shared that illegal logging is rapidly depleting forests, especially in the Yarmouk Basin, leaving many areas almost devoid of trees. Other forests in Tal Shihab and Zayzoun face a similar fate, driven by organized armed groups exploiting the timber trade rather than people merely seeking heating fuel.
The price of firewood has skyrocketed in Daraa and Suweida, with one ton exceeding 4.5 million Syrian pounds (approximately $300). Simultaneously, free-market diesel prices have surged, forcing many to rely on firewood for heating. Small heaters now cost over 800,000 pounds ($54), with larger models reaching up to 5 million pounds ($340).
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An employee from Suwayda’s Department of Agriculture emphasized that “lumbering crimes against nature and the environment can no longer be justified,” underscoring the role of both citizens and authorities in protecting public land. Although local groups have been assigned to guard some areas, he argues that these efforts are insufficient and require broader support. “Sweida is now barren,” he said, “leaving residents without recreational green spaces and facing potential environmental risks.”
In coastal Syria, where winters are milder, logging has shifted toward charcoal production. The trade has proven lucrative, with loggers setting up sites to convert wood to charcoal, which is then packaged and sold to hookah and barbecue vendors. Each kilogram sells for around 25,000 pounds ($1.7), generating substantial daily revenue for charcoal centers. According to Fadi Dayoub, head of the Forestry Department in Tartus, the department has issued 218 forestry violation reports, including 10 for charcoal production, since the start of the year and confiscated 17 vehicles used to transport firewood.
Despite the devastation caused by forest fires this year, which consumed 170 dunums in Tartus alone, no licenses have been issued for logging. “In the Sahel region, people believe every fire is caused by charcoal producers,” local resident Ali al-Kurdi told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. He described how unburned portions of trees are exploited for charcoal production once the fires are out.
Public opinion is divided. Some view logging as a severe crime against nature that endangers public health and the climate. Others blame the state’s failure to provide adequate heating fuel and forest protection, arguing that people resort to nature at a time when economic pressures demand solutions, even if it comes at the cost of Syria’s natural heritage.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
