Law-enforcement officials in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province seized 1.5 tons of illegally logged timber in the small city of Lordegan on Sunday.
According to IRIB News, one arrest has been made so far.
The heavily-wooded province is a prime target for lumberjacks looking to tear down the oak trees of Zagros forests. Less than 10% of Iran are covered in forests, prompting officials to crack down on illegal logging. In January, the Iranian Parliament passed a law banning all logging in the Caspian Hyrcanian forests for 10 years. Observers say the law should be expanded to include the Zagros forests that which line most of western and portions of central Iran.
Annual demand for timber in Iran is expected to increase from 7 to 13 million cubic meters in less than five years. Tehran currently imports 1 million cubic meters of timber from Russia and Ukraine annually, but wants to increase the volume fourfold. The goal is to import 10 million cubic meters of wood annually by 2021.
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