Forests

Forests

Forests comprise 25.4% of the total area of Greece, making it the fourth largest country in Europe with respect to forest resources. The majority of the Greek forests are natural and not technical. They are characterized as Mediterranean. These are ecosystems that have adapted to dry, hot summers and cold winters. Oak trees have developed in the Mediterranean and Circum Mediterranean zone, while acorns grow in the Thessaly plain where the soil is more fertile. We will also come across types of trees that have spread throughout Europe, such as the pine (Pinus silvestris), the spruce (Picea abies), and the beech (Fagus sylvatica). The fauna in the Greek forests are characterized by high biodiversity. Other than the numerous kinds of birds, reptiles and insects, there is also a remarkable variety of mammals which live in the Greek forests, with the most notable being the brown bear (Ursus arctos), the wildcat (Felis silvestris), the jackal (Canis aureus), the wolf (Canis lupus) and the badger (Meles meles).

National Parks

National Parks are proclaimed (natural regions) and their boundaries specified by Presidential Decree, based on Legislative Decree 996/1971, with a total area of 68,732 hectares, of which 34,378 hectares comprise the core. They are as follows:

Name

Prefecture

Island

Hectares

Ainos

Kefalonia

Kefalonia

2862

Vikos – Aoos

Ioannina

9300

Lefka Ori (Samaria Gorge)

(Chania)

Crete

4850

Oiti

Fthiotida

3010

Olympos

Pieria

3988

Parnassos

Fokida, Boiotia

3513

Parnitha

Attica

3812

Sounio

Attica

2750

Pindos

Ioannina

3534

Prespes

Florina

4900

Aesthetic forests

Aesthetic forests (a total of 19), with a total area of 33,109 hectares, have been demarcated based on L.D. 996/1971 and are as follows:

Name

Prefecture

Island

Vai

Lasithi

Crete

Kaisariani

Attica

Tempon Thessalikon Valey

Larissa

Karaiskaki

Karditsa

Xylokastro

Corinthia

Panepistimioupolis Patras

Achaia

Ioannina

Ioannina

Farsalon

Larissa

Stenis

Evia

Evia

Ossa Forest Complex

Larissa

Mongostou

Corinthia

Nikopoleos Mytika

Preveza

Skiathos

Magnisia

Skiathos

Nestos River Straits

Xanthi, Kavala

Ethnikis Anexartisias Kalavryton

Achaia

Tithoreas

Fthiotida

Amygdaleona

Kavala

Anlia

Trikala

Kouri Almyros

Magnisia

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