War and trees: The destruction and replanting of the urban and peri-urban forest of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The early-1990s’ war in former Yugoslavia led to severe damage to the urban and peri-urban forests of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the Siege of Sarajevo (April 1992–March 1996), after the energy supplies to the city had been cut off, over three-quarters of all urban trees and nearly all peri-urban trees within the siege line were cut down for firewood by the desperate residents. After the war, the city trees were quickly and effectively replanted, and Sarajevo provides a useful case study of urban forest recovery. This study presents the observations and measurements, of trees that survived the war and the trees planted after the war, made in Sarajevo in May 2008. We summarize the lessons learned from the Sarajevo experience, regarding both damage and replanting, which include the close relationship between the urban tree damage and the specifics of military operations, the importance of the initial planting stock, and the advantages of collaboration between academic researchers and urban forest managers.