ABHA, 1 September 2006 — The Arar tree that is widely found in the mountainous region of Asir is on the verge of extinction because of unscrupulous timber merchants haphazardly cutting the trees down for timber. Despite the abundance of rain and water in the province, experts say the Arar tree may soon become extinct.
The National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) say that the manner by which trees are being chopped down in huge numbers for timber and to clear land for grazing has led to the situation. NCWCD is now taking emergency measures to protect the tree and have conducted studies to identify the best solution to the problem. The commission is also presently involving other government departments — such as the Transport, Agricultural and Water Ministries - to fight the problem.
According to Ahmad Al-Boog, the deputy manager of the National Center of Wildlife Research in Taif, there are two types of Arar trees found in the Kingdom — one located in the north and the other in the south. Al-Boog says that the Arar tree located in the southern region has African origins and is widely found on top of mountains. “In the last 10 years it was noticed that the tree is slowly diminishing. There are factors other than the lack of rain behind this problem. One of the main problems is the uncontrolled cutting of trees for wood and people building roads that cut through public parks in the mountain areas,” said Al-Boog.
Al-Boog says that a lot of the tribes who live in the southern region build random roads that cut through forests and woodlands to reach their grazing lands and villages and thus destroy many trees.
The deputy manager also added that a number of French and German researchers had visited Saudi Arabia to study trees in the Al-Suda area in the south and had disclosed that some of the trees were over 150 years old. “Gathering woods and cutting roads in the middle of public parks should stop in order to protect this tree, especially the ones located on top of the mountains,” he added.
The Arar tree is a type of juniper tree known in Latin as the juniperus macropoda. Arar wood is a valuable type of timber used for window-shutters, doors, paneling, and for other types of interior decoration. The lifespan of the Arar tree can reach hundreds of years and the tree grows one millimeter each year.
