The Importance of Technology in Protecting Lebanon’s Cedar Forests

by sailforchange | May 24, 2025 | UA at SAIL Blogs

Haidar Jomaa

Photo Credits: Ali Saklawi

A Forest in Peril – Lebanon’s Cedars Under Siege

Early one morning, the cedar forests of Lebanon before 2019 stretch out in endless green, home to birds and wildlife living in quiet harmony [1]. Today, those same slopes are dotted with empty clearings and clouds of dust kicked up by trucks loaded with logs. Villagers, facing frequent power cuts and soaring diesel prices, resort to hand saws and gather around wood fires for heat [1].

Technology Steps In – Eyes in the Sky and Ears in the Ground

Forest rangers struggle to patrol steep terrain, and hundreds of reports of illegal logging go unanswered each day for lack of fuel and manpower [1]. In this crisis, technology offers the only real hope. Free satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 (10 m resolution, revisits every 5 days) and Landsat 8 (30 m resolution, long-term archive) lets us watch changes in tree cover over time [2]. Drones fill in the details on the ground, and acoustic sensors pick up the whine of chainsaws and the rumble of heavy vehicles at night [3].

Mapping the Invisible Threats

But these images are just the start: thermal bands reveal heat spikes from fires or human activity; NDVI maps show sudden drops in vegetation density; soil-moisture data highlights areas affected by tree loss; and sound-pattern analysis turns noisy recordings into alerts about out-of-hours logging. Historical weather records add context, revealing the seasons when illegal cutting peaks. By layering daily low-res satellite data with drone snapshots, land-use maps, citizen complaints and even open-source municipal data, we get a full picture of where and when forests are under threat [4].

Turning Data into Action

From this, we generate color-coded risk maps—bright red markers flagging the most vulnerable spots. Forest guards receive instant mobile alerts, giving them a chance to move in before the first axe swings [2] [3]. Artificial intelligence algorithms study past incidents to spot repeated clearings, nighttime activity and off-road vehicle tracks. The result? AI predictions of where and when illegal logging is most likely, and the odds of recurrence in a given area [5].

Lessons from the Frontlines

This isn’t theory. Brazil has already forecast deforestation zones days in advance, Indonesia deploys LiDAR-equipped drones over its jungles, and Thailand tracks reforestation projects with high-resolution imagery [2].

Lebanon’s New Blueprint – Protecting Our Green Heritages

Now, in Lebanon, we can mount acoustic sensors along Akkar’s mountain roads and run open-source models on weather and road-use data to predict illegal cutting days ahead [4] [5]. In seconds, alerts reach the gendarmerie and municipal patrols, who can step in proactively to defend our ancient cedars.

By combining open data and free technologies, we free our forests from old constraints and turn information into real protection. Let’s stand together—citizens, scientists and government—to guard Lebanon’s green heart and preserve our ancestors’ legacy before it’s too late.

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ِAbout the Author:

Haidar Jomaa is a Graduate Student of Computer Science at the American University of Beirut