Argan tree (ArganiaSpinosa) grows wild in the hinterland, the plains and on the Moroccan ocean coast forests. Argan tree is the essential forest essence of the great south-west of Morocco; it inhabits most of the forest arid landscapes with frequent mists and gives it a very particular physiognomy.

Argan tree is a multipurpose tree, each part it is a source of income or food for the consumer.

It plays a vital role against rain erosion by fixing the soil of the hills it inhabits. It also builds a bulwark against the desertification of the pre-Saharan areas of the plain of Souss.

Extremely hard, Argan wood is particularly valued as lumber and as an ecological insulation among the best suited for use in hot areas.

In fact, the harder a wood is, the more time it will take to burn but also the more energy it will release and proves to be powerful firewood. Therefore, the population of southwestern Morocco has for long exploited the mechanical and energetic qualities of the argan tree.

Since it is dense and burns slowly, it is massively used as a fuel in a coal form.

Argan tree has multiple uses. The importance of its environmental (erosion and desertification) and socio-economic (grazing, argan oil, timber and firewood) role now requires the development and implementation of a national strategy for safeguarding this slowly growing unique species.