Dendroecological Study of Cedar Forests in Mount Lebanon

PI : Vinceant Badeau (UMR 1434 SILVA)

Collaborations : Rana EL ZEIN (Faculté des Sciences Université St. Joseph, Beyrouth)

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Context — The Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) survives as twelve populations scattered in Mount Lebanon. It occupies only 5% of its estimated old natural range after centuries of overexploitation. This emblematic species has been the focus of reforestation and conservation programs in the last decades, however, its ecological niche remain poorly investigated and its vulnerability to warming-induced drought poorly understood.

Objectives —

1) Using a dendroecological approach (ring width analysis), the project aims at assessing the radial growth patterns of Cedar populations in Mount Lebanon in response to the environment and more precisely the climate. The key question is to identify if particular climatic conditions trigger a process of dieback or if cedar prove to be resilient to the climatic constraints.

2) The project is based on a bilateral collaboration involving the UMR Silva and the Faculty of Science of Saint Joseph University of Beirut. Thanks to this collaboration, the UMR Silva will transfer its expertise to the FS-USJ and will lead the Lebanese partner toward founding a Laboratory for dendroecology and Forest Ecophysioogy, the first of its kind in Lebanon.

Approaches — Twelve populations will be sampled from Ehden (North) to Maaser el Shouf (South). About ten plots will be set up in each of these populations in order to cover the range of altitudes and exposures. On each plot, 10 dominant trees will be corred to the pith and a detailed ecological description will be done.

Expected results and impacts — The project will enhance our knowledge, and therefore our decisions, concerning the ecology of cedar, that is to say, on one hand, the protection of specific habitats with high environmental value in Lebanon, and on the other hand, the opportunity and the risks of using this species in reforestation in southern France or other European mediterrenean countries.