Al-Sulaymaniyah arrests suspect over burning of 200-year-old tree
Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
Forest and Environment Police in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Al-Sulaymaniyah province arrested a suspect accused of burning a more than 200-year-old tree near Alyawa village, the directorate said on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, authorities in Al-Sulaymaniyah opened an investigation after a branch broke off a roughly 400-year-old oak tree in Darbaro village.
Tree cutting and burning remain recurring problems across Iraqi Kurdistan. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Iraqi Kurdistan contains 97% of Iraq’s natural forests. A 2024 report by Dutch peace organization PAX said fires linked to military operations scorched more than 120,000 hectares, while nearly 290,000 hectares of forest have been lost to fires since 2010.
Read more: Kurdistan’s forests under threat: War, climate, and efforts to rebuild
