BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Cedars of Lebanon Under Threat

Bible and archaeology news

Lebanon’s majestic cedar trees, famously used in the building of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 5:6), have survived thousands of years of human use and exploitation. Now the precious few cedar forests that remain face a new challenge: climate change. According to Nizar Hani, manager of Shouf Cedar Reserve, Lebanon’s largest natural forest, not enough snow is falling in the winter months to ensure that future generations of cedars will be able to thrive in the mountainous country. “The expected threat to the cedar forest is [that] the natural regeneration will be affected,” said Hani. “The cedar seeds need to be under snow for two months minimum.”

Lebanon’s majestic cedar trees, famously used in the building of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 5:6), have survived thousands of years of human use and exploitation. Now the precious few cedar forests that remain face a new challenge: climate change.