The eye-catching forests in the north part of Iran that are considered a part of World Natural Heritage are in a sad situation. In addition to the operation of wood smugglers, the governmental departments and especially the National Forestry Office are systematically engaged in issuing new permits for cutting trees without paying any attention to the concerns of forestry experts. On November 22, 2011, in an interview with Fars News Agency that is run by the Iranian government, Mr. Peyman Yusefi-Azar, a member of the governing body of the Scientific Society for Iran’s Forestry said: “At the moment the number of permits issued for cutting the trees is 5 times more than the number of trees that are planted. This means that there is no way to compensate the loss of trees and practically we will lose our forest within the next ten years.
