As of 2013, the TRNC's forest area is 76711 on hectare basis. This figure shows that 23.1% of the TRNC is covered with forest.

The main tree species of forest areas are Pine, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Cyprus Acacia and Juniper. Pine species are the most important and widely distributed species on the island. The spreading of the pine species starts from the sea level to the highest peak of the Troodos mountains. Red pine forests, which constitute a large part of the forest areas within the borders of the TRNC, spread from the sea level to the Selvili hill (1,020m), which is the highest point of the TRNC. Red pine forests have a distribution rate of over 30%. There are also small amounts of Pistachio pine and Aleppo pine other than red pine.

Approximate proportions of tree species spread within the borders of TRNC are as follows;

• Pine (Red Pine) : 68%
• Juniper : 9%
• Cypress : 12%
• Cyprus Acacia: 3%
• Eucalyptus: 2%
• Other Species: 6%

As you can see, the most important and most common tree of Cyprus is Red Pine.

Red pine

Young shoots of this pine species are thick and generally dark red in color. That is why it is called Red Pine.

It looks like a bright, light brown cone spinning top, 6-11 cm long. It has a very short stem.

Red pine wood is not very precious. It can be used to meet more local needs, especially for packaging.

It is a type of tree that has very little demands as a soil feature. It is resistant to drought. It has a rapid growth feature in its young periods. It prefers places where the winter season is mild. It spreads up to 1000-1200m altitude. It is a very suitable species for afforestation of inefficient and arid areas. Therefore, it is the most preferred tree species in our country.

Juniper (Finike juniper):

Juniper, which is a species that spreads especially in the Karpaz peninsula in our country and covers the entire peninsula, is a large bush with a curved stem that can grow up to 3-4 m or as a sloping shrub creeping on the ground. When viewed from a distance, it has a structure similar to a cypress tree.

It is spread in the Mediterranean region, Southern Europe, northern Africa and the Canary Islands.

Cypress:

It is a column-shaped or pyramid-shaped tree that can grow up to 20-30 m. In nature, it is found in the southern shores of the Caspian Sea in Northern Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Rhodes, Cyprus and Crete islands. In our country, it is mostly forms forests mixed with red pine. It can create pure Cypress forests on its own in the Selvili hill area, which is the highest peak of the TRNC and takes its name from this tree, and in some other areas. It is also grown as a cemetery tree in cemeteries in our country, and it is also used as a border tree and as wind curtain in agricultural gardens.

It is a type of tree that is not desired as much, especially in calcareous soils. It is resistant to drought. Because of these features, it is used for afforestation of arid and poor soils dominated by the typical Mediterranean climate.

Since it has shallow roots, there is a danger of overturning from wind and storm.

Cyprus Acacia:

This tree species, whose homeland is Australia, was brought to Cyprus during the British rule. It is a type that is not high in demand. It has been used especially for afforestation of poor soils, eroded areas and dune fields. It has the ability to grow very quickly. Because of this feature, firewood fields were created from acacia in order to provide firewood. It is also used in afforestation works to create a protective line as a wind curtain by planting in a few rows on the edges of the afforestation areas.

Eucalyptus

The eucalyptus tree, one of the species brought during the British rule on the island, has 60 species, according to recent studies. The most important species of this tree species, which have unique characteristics, are camaldulensis, gomphocephala, torquata, occidentalis, sargenti and astringens.

Eucalyptus trees, a typical Australian tree, were planted by the British in the 1950s on the still waters and marshes in the mesaria in order to find a solution to the malaria disease on the island. Astringens and Occidentalis species are suitable for forming communities in marshy environments. Astringens species is a drought-resistant species and has the ability to develop very well on poor soils.

Camaldulensis, on the other hand, is one of the best-known eucalyptus species in the world, and it is a dominant tree species especially in the Mediterranean region. It is one of the first eucalyptus species planted in Cyprus. In Australia, it spreads in both high rainfall and low rainfall regions. It is a drought-resistant species. Individuals of this species can grow up to 30m.

Gomphocephala is one of the most abundant species on the island. It spreads in coastal dunes and limestone plains in Australia. It is mostly found in Famagusta-Salamis region in Cyprus. It is a species resistant to dry periods. It is a species resistant to calcareous soils in Cyprus conditions.

Along with these species, the main aboveground plants found in forest areas in the TRNC can be summarized as follows;

• Pinus brutia (Kızılçam)
• Pinus pinea (Fıstık çamı)
• Pinus halepensis (Halepçamı)
• Cupresus sempervirens (Adiservi)
• Juniperius phonicia (Finikeardıcı)
• Arbutus andrachne (Sandal)
• Eucalyptus (Okaliptüs)
• Acacia Cyanophylla (Kıbrıs Akasyası)
• Populus nigra (Karakavak)
• Pistacia terebinthus (Menengiç, çitlenbik)
• Pistacia lentiscus
• Platanus orientalis (Doğu çınarı)
• Olea europea (Zeytin)
• Ceratonia siligua (Harnup, keçi boynuzu)
• Styrax officinalis (Tesbih ağacı)
• Quercus coccifera (Pırnal, kermes meşesi)
• Quercus infectoria (Mazı meşesi)
• Cistus (Laden)
• Genista sphacelata (Azgan)
• Calycotome villosa (Azgan)
• Lithadora hispidula (Eşek tülümbesi)
• Lithospermum hispidulum (Eşek tülümbesi)
• Phagnolon rupestre (Pirekapan)
• Acer obtisifolium (Akçaağaç)
• Laurus nobilis (Akdeniz defnesi)
• Lycium achweinfurtheii forecissium
• Nerium oleander (Zakkum)
• Ficus carica (İncir)
• Crataegus azarclus (Alıç)
• Hedera helix (Orman sarmaşığı)
• Capparis spincsa (Gappar , Gebere, Kapari)
• Inula viscosa (Andız otu)
• Erica sicula (Funda)
• Ricinus communis (Hintyağı bitkisi) Rosmarinus
• officinalis (Biberiye)
• Salvia cypria (Adaçayı)
• Melissa officinalis (Oğul otu)
• Origanum syriacum (Kekik)
• Asparagus alutifolius (Kuşkonmaz)
• Myrtus communis (Mersin)
• Ruscus aculeatus (Tavşan memesi)
• Smilax aspera (Kaba saparna)
• Lavatera punctata (Ağaç ebegümeci)
• Clematis cirrhosa (Orman asması)
• Vitex agnus castus (Hayıt)
• Tamarix ssp. (Ilgın)
• Rhamnus ssp. (Cehri)
• Ziziphus ssp. (Hünnap)
• Çayır otları ( Graminea )

Garig and maquis plant communities that make up a large part of the island were formed as a result of the destruction of vegetation in the past, especially the destruction of forests and fires caused by people, and the soil in these areas was eroded and covered the unproductive stony and rocky surfaces. After the destruction of the maquis vegetation in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, especially short and thorny bush-shaped garigles are common in our island. In the past, the places where the tree communities were found were first taken by the maquis and then by the garigles (Asparagus stipularis, Thymus capitatus, zizyphus lotus etc.) especially in the low altitudes in the mesarya region.

Evergreen maquis plant communities, which are dominant in the coastal parts of the island and in the regions with rainfall above 400mm, are common outside the forest areas. Pistacia lentiscus (Shinya), Cistus spp. include salvia fruticosa. Olive and carob, which are also in tree form, can also be included in this group. At higher altitudes, plants such as Arbutus andrachne (Sandalwood), Pistacia terebinthus (Çitlemit, Menengiç), Quercus coccifera, Celtis australis (Hackberry) are the most common species.

In our country, afforestation activities are carried out by means of planting, which is called artificial tensile. The main purposes in afforestation are to create aesthetic and cultural values that people need, to increase both the visual and touristic value of the country by bringing the concept of green and nature to the forefront, and in addition, to meet the people's need for wood raw materials, to rehabilitate the areas where land loss is experienced, to restore the degraded forest areas to the forest form. These studies are carried out for many purposes such as bringing together.

It is necessary to consider many factors in order to be successful in afforestation works. These conditions are particularly sensitive in our country, which has a semi-arid climate. The period in which planting will take place should be studied very well.

One of the first conditions to be considered is the origin of the saplings to be planted in the afforestation areas as these should be produced from the distinguished trees of the same region. The climatic conditions and soil properties of the area to be afforested are also among the important factors.

In afforestation studies, there are some points that should be considered especially before and during planting, which are very important factors for a successful planting.

Soil characteristics, which have an important effect on the success of afforestation, are one of the most determining factors. A soil structure suitable for the characteristics of the tree type to be planted has an important role in success. Apart from this, the depth of the soil in the area to be planted is very important. If the soil is shallow, the success of plantings will be low. For this reason, the areas to be afforested are determined in advance and the soil cultivation of these areas with heavy machinery is carried out by our Department.

Planting time:

Considering the climatic conditions in our country, the average amount of annual precipitation is of great importance. The average annual precipitation of Cyprus varies between 300mm and 400mm. From time to time, there are very little rainy years below these values. The fact that the annual rainfall requirement of the pine tree, which is the main species of our forests, is around 350mm, indicates that the existing forests struggle in a zone at the limit of drought. In these difficult conditions, the most suitable season for afforestation in our country is December, January and February, when the rainfall is the highest. Regardless of the tree species, all afforestation works are technically the most suitable period in these months in order for the planted saplings to be successful. In addition, it is a preferred condition that the weather is windless and closed while planting the seedlings.

Planting method:

In the afforestation works in our country, the method we call pits with anchor is applied. The most important advantage of this planting is that it increases the chance of success especially in tubular sapling planting due to the cultivation of the soil in soils with low chance of success.

The points to be considered in this planting method are as follows:

• A hole should be dug up to the size of the tubed sapling or the dimensions of the hole should be large enough to keep the sapling roots in their natural state and not compress the roots.
• Remains such as stones, branches and roots that create gaps in the planting pit should be removed.
• The sapling should be carefully removed from the bag without spreading the soil by tearing the bag with a sharp tool.
• The sapling should be placed in the middle of the pit.
• The seedlings placed in the hole should not be planted with the roots bent and twisted.
• The lower branches of the sapling above the root collar should not be buried in the pit.
• The roots of the sapling, which is below the root collar of the sapling, should never be left out while being buried.
• The soil coming out of the planting hole is filled into the hole again, stepped by foot and the perimeter of the sapling is compacted.
• Watering water is opened around the sapling and life water is given to the sapling.

• Chapter 60 Forest law (www.mahkerler.net)
• Forest Protection and Utilization Regulation
• Law on combating land fires (www.mahkerler.net)
• Regulation on Fight Against Land Fires and Measures (Amendment) (www.mahkerler.net)
• Fruit Trees Protection Law (www.mahkerler.net)
• Plant diseases (prevention) Law preventing the introduction and spread of tree and plant diseases.