From Poplars to Pistachios: Afghans Rediscover Value of Trees Amid Reforestation Efforts

In northeastern Afghanistan, communities are actively working to restore forest cover, a vital effort to counteract the extensive deforestation that occurred during years of conflict. Village leader Ghulam Ali Poya expressed pride in seeing residents reconnect with the importance of trees, recalling a time when "forests of pistachio trees" covered the landscape before being decimated by logging during the Soviet invasion and subsequent civil war.

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There were forests of pistachio trees. During the conflicts and the civil war, they were destroyed; no one could stop the logging.

Estimates suggest that approximately 50 percent of Afghanistan's forest cover was lost between the 1979 Soviet invasion and the early 2000s. This destruction was driven by timber smuggling to Pakistan in the east and the use of wood for fuel in the arid central and northern regions. While deforestation has slowed considerably in the past two decades, with forest cover increasing by 35 percent nationwide since 2011, challenges remain, as only 2.5 percent of the country was forested in 2025 and some areas continue to experience shrinking cover.

However, experts highlight a growing trend of community involvement in reforestation. Both the former U.S.-backed government and the current Taliban administration have supported tree-planting campaigns. One notable project in Char Bagh, funded by the Aga Khan Development Network, established a "micro-forest" featuring poplars, paulownias, pomegranates, and persimmons. This initiative, based on Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki's principles of dense planting with local species, not only cools the environment but also provides fuel and fodder.

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Having these trees makes me feel good; my environment is green, and we breathe fresh air.

Bas Begum Ahmadi, a farmer whose land hosts the grove, sees it as a community asset, offering fruit and jam sales while providing a green space for 350 families. "Having these trees makes me feel good; my environment is green, and we breathe fresh air," she said. Parisa Malikzada, Afghanistan agriculture coordinator for the organization, noted that these micro-forests "restore ecosystems, improve soil fertility, help climate resilience, and support community livelihood," with 500 such forests planted across seven provinces.

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Micro-forests restore ecosystems, improve soil fertility, help climate resilience, and support community livelihood.

Community-based forest management is considered the most effective approach to reforestation in Afghanistan, given the country's challenging terrain and limited state resources. Afghan authorities have set a goal to plant 200 million trees between 2023 and 2030, with significant contributions expected from NGOs, the United Nations, and the private sector. Last year, the actual number of trees planted exceeded the target, with 17 million trees planted against a goal of eight million.

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Everyone comes to have a look, and they'd like to have one too.