In the mountains, climate becomes more and more humid with increasing elevation, which results in annual precipitation of 2,500 mm to 4,000 mm in the western parts of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus (Krever et al., Also along the Caucasus mountain ranges, precipitation decreases from west to east. Though, in the east in Azerbaijan moist air masses from the Caspian Sea result in a humid climate at higher elevation. This cl imatic pattern would allow forests in large parts of Georgia but restricts forests to the mountains in large parts of Armenia and Azerbaijan (see country section, page 33 ff.). In Georgia, large parts of the low-lying areas in the Kolkheti lowland, which would naturally be covered by forests, are used for agriculture. Most forests in the countries of the Caucasus are broadleaf forests, mainly of beech (Fagus orientate) or oak (Quercus spp.)