Juniper Wood of Chrissi

The dunes of the central narrowest part of the island of Chryssi, we meet one of the most important juniper wood (sp. Juniperus macrocarpa ) in Greece, which has prevailed (erroneously) with the name cedarwood.

In other parts of the island, such as west and east, we encounter vegetation with Juniperus phoenicea being the main plant. The wood occupies about 350 acres and includes junipers of an average age of 200 years.

There are trees exceeding 10 meters in height and aged above 300 years. Juniper retains the sand with its vast roots.

Walking in the forest is normally forbidden, although unfortunately this is not the case. The presence of thousands of daily visitors who walk illegally in the wood and camp in the forest has burdened the state of the junipers, as the surface of the sand has descended as from 25cm to one meter at the base of the trees.

The result is that the roots come to the surface, get dry and the trees die or cannot withstand the strong winds.