Lebanon's historic pines are dying, one cone at a time | REUTERS

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Lebanon's historic pines are dying, one cone at a time | REUTERS

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Nov 11
2025

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Farmers in Bkassine, Lebanon, struggle as an invasive insect damages pine cones, risking livelihoods dependent on the Middle East's largest pine forest.

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Lebanon's historic pines are dying, one cone at a time

By Raghed Waked
November 11, 20253:55 AM MSTUpdated November 11, 2025

Summary
- Insects threaten Lebanon's prized pine nuts

• Forest and livelihoods at risk, prices rising

• Trees left vulnerable by ravages of climate change

BKASSINE FOREST, Lebanon, Nov 11 (Reuters) - In the heart of southern Lebanon, where pine trees once stood tall and abundant, a quiet crisis is unfolding. The cones are barren, the trees are drying and a forest that was a lifeline for entire communities is under siege.

Farmers in Bkassine forest have watched their pine yields dwindle for years. At first, they blamed seasonal weather changes. Then, in 2015, scientists confirmed what many feared: an invasive insect had taken hold, one that feeds on the cones that produce Lebanon's prized pine nuts.

"It's not just the nuts," said Dr. Nabil Nemer, a forest health expert at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK). "This insect attacks the cones over three years. It doesn't just reduce productivity, it wipes it out."

In some cases, up to 82% of a cone's seed pods are left as empty shells, according to Nemer. Trees weakened by the ravages of climate change are particularly vulnerable.

The insect, Leptoglossus occidentalis, is originally from North America and likely arrived in Lebanon via untreated wooden shipping pallets.

It has since spread across the Mediterranean to Turkey and other areas, according to his research.
Livelihoods are under threat in the Bkassine reserve, the Middle East's largest productive pine forest. The trees grow in other parts of Lebanon, but largely not commercially.

For decades, Miled Hareb's fa...
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