For decades, Afghanistan's environmental story was dominated by war, deforestation, and shrinking forests.
From the pistachio woodlands of Badghis to the poplar-lined valleys of the northeast, millions of trees disappeared as conflict, fuel shortages, illegal logging, and poverty reshaped the country's landscapes.
Researchers estimate that around 50 per cent of Afghanistan's forest cover was lost between the 1979 Soviet invasion and the early 2000s.
Yet a quieter transformation is now taking place.
Across provinces including Parwan, Baghlan, Kabul, and Badghis, communities are planting poplars, pistachios, deodar cedars, walnuts, and native species to restore degraded land.
