Countries

Forests and the forestry sector

Resources
Saudi Arabia is very lightly forested with less than 1 percent of forest and other wooded land cover. Nonetheless, these total close to a million hectares of woodland. Forested areas occur mainly in the southwest quarter along the Red Sea coast and in the Sarwat Mountains. The majority of forest is montane mixed-coniferous. At lower levels forest gives way to degraded scrubland and remnant savannah woodland. Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) are widespread throughout the country, most notably at the Al-Hasa oasis. Saudi Arabia has a large network of protected areas with the most significant, from a forestry perspective, being Asir National Park, which incorporates a large proportion of the southwestern forested area.

Mangrove forests are found in the form of fragmented stands in many tidal areas on the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf coast.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Water started afforestation programmes in 1975 to rehabilitate degraded natural forest areas. Indigenous and exotic tree species proven to grow well under the existing environmental conditions were planted to increase the green area, improve the climate and environment, establish picnic areas, control soil erosion and create a suitable environment for wildlife and birds. By 1999, 54 sites of degraded forests, afforestation programmes and sand dune stabilization projects had been planted with a total area of 3 582 ha. Currently, treated sewage water is used to irrigate the planted trees to increase the green area and for desertification control in the Riyadh and Taeef regions. Also, water from dams is used to irrigate trees in the reforestation of degraded forest areas.

Products and trade
Saudi Arabia produces negligible volumes of roundwood. The country is a significant importer of a broad range of wood and paper products.

Last updated: May 2004