Valuing Trees in a Changing Cultural Landscape: A Case Study from Northwestern Greece

This paper explores the changing relationship between society and the environment, taking as a proxy the local valuation of trees in Zagori, Northwstern Greece. We used voucher specimens and asked informants to score perceived value for selected tree species and list associations with the trees. Responses were sorted into broad categories. Utilitarian values dominated responses although intangible values were a constant feature. In species that were culturally dominant in the past the change in utilitarian values has been dramatic. Younger informants failed to identify common tree species and were generally unaware of values attached to trees by previous generations. Some species remain highly valued but now more for their intangible significance. We argue that simple tools to record the valuation of trees are useful in exploring the relationship between people and the landscape they inhabit.