Forests and livestock husbandry in the prefecture of Arcadia

The prefecture of Arcadia is the largest and the most mountainous region of Peloponnese. Forests cover 27% of the whole area and are restricted in the mountain ranges of Mainalon and Parnonas as well as in the plateau of Thelpousa. The most important forests are those in Mainalon that consist of fir, cover 19,900 ha and have 3.9 million m3 wood stock and mean annual growth 65,000 m3 wood; and in Parnonas that consist of fir and black pine, cover 23,000 ha and have 1,3 million m3 wood stuck and mean annual growth 21,000 m3 wood. Rangelands cover 52% of the whole prefecture and are used mainly by goats (127,000 heads) and sheep (121,000 heads) while cattle are no more than 550 heads. Livestock husbandry contributes 6.4% to the primary sector and involves 3,000 people in 2,000 exploitations. Forest management has many problems due to the lack of sufficient personnel. Wood harvesting is inadequate resulting in accumulation of biomass that is very vulnerable to wildfires. In livestock husbandry, problems are related to the gradual aging of farmers and to the animal feeding. Rangelands are underutilized resulting in degradation and accumulation of biomass which is also vulnerable to wildfires.