Lebanese turn to logging in preparation for winter

BEIRUT — In the face of rising fuel prices and scarcity in Lebanon, residents have become increasingly dependent on cutting down trees from nearby forests and woodlands to stay warm, and while the increased logging is causing fears of deforestation, many in Lebanon say they are left with little choice.

Ziad al-Ayysami, a 32-year-old primary school math teacher, wakes up at dawn and wears his rugged ranger boots for a long day with his electric axe to cut down trees up in the mountains of Haramoun, in preparation for winter.