The view from the bastion is impressive but the clear field of fire is now obscured by the pine trees. The castle of Nafpaktos is surrounded by 119 acres of pine forest. The pines were planted during the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) by 350 Turkish officers and soldiers who were kept in the castle as prisoners of war. The castle was originally devoid of any vegetation but as its military importance declined, trees were planted for flood control and to prevent soil erosion. The area outside the castle walls was planted by local primary students in 1928-1929, who added a thousand olive trees to supplement the municipal revenue with the future sale of olive oil.