After second Mt Parnitha blaze, forest regeneration hopes fade

A fire that broke out on the slopes of the Greek capital's Mount Parnitha on Saturday, June 29, destroyed a part of the forest, stretching from Katsimidi peak to the former royal estate at Tatoi, which had been completely razed by a conflagration three years ago. In fact, the large stretch of relatively bare land left behind after the 2021 blaze allowed firefighters to contain and extinguish the latest blaze in a relatively short time, and before the flames could reach the lush fir forest beyond.

And even though the Fire Service has reported that the extent of the damage from the June 29 blaze is significantly smaller than the 420 hectares razed in 2021, experts are pessimistic about the area's ability to recover from two fires in such a short space of time, just as new trees were starting to take root and grow.

According to the terrestrial program coordinator for the...