Miyess

Well, I am half Lebanese and I did grow up there before moving back to Australia to study palaeontology. This logo or some variation of it has been my avatar on DeviantArt ever since I joined in mid 2007. I guess I was feeling patriotic that day...

Lebanese cedar trees once covered the entirety of the mountain range that forms Mount Lebanon (the highest peak in the Middle East). They were mostly cut down by the Phoenicians, who traded the wood and oils derived from cedar wood with the Egyptians. They used the former in building and the latter in ritualistic purposes or for perfumes & incense. In modern times many of the remaining trees were cut down to clear land. It was only in the last few decades that these trees have been recognized as endangered and serious conservation efforts have been made to replenish the once thick forests. I believe it is now illegal to cut down a Lebanese Cedar in Lebanon. There are also several national parks that boast an ever increasing number of trees which are planted every year by volunteers, as well as many old growth (1,000+ year old) trees that are stupendously big. I actually proposed to my wife in 2017 under one of those ancient cedar trees in Wadi Qadisha in the Forest of the Cedars of God.