Northern Israe

t is estimated that Hezbollah
fired about 4,000 Katyusha rock-
ets at northern Israel last sum-
mer causing havoc, trauma, loss of
life, and untold damage to homes and
businesses. Residents of northern
towns breathed sighs of relief when
the rockets fell outside city limits, but
those rockets — an estimated 400 —
caused damage of a different kind:
more than 10,000 acres of forests,
woodlands, reserves, and agricultural
lands were destroyed by rocket fires
during the 33-day war.
Israel was not blessed with natu-
ral forests. While northern Israel, called the
green lung of the country," is covered with
trees, they were all hand-planted two to three
generations ago by the pioneers of the State. It
took 50 years for these forests to mature; it will
take another 50 years to regain what was lost.
Tourism, the lifeblood of the north, slumped by
25% during the war. JNF forests are a main
tourist attraction and boost the local economy
with the traffic they bring in. For tourism to
thrive, the forests must be restored.
JNF's Forest Department, together with the
Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the Ministry
of Environmental Defense, and the Ministry of
Agriculture, has turned the disaster into an
opportunity and challenge to implement the
principles of sustainable development and sus-
tainable forest management as it seeks to re-
green the north. While there is public pressure to
replant the burned areas as soon as possible and
more than 20,000 volunteers — about 200 to 400
a day, from students to industry executives —
have already gotten their hands dirty clearing
away the debris, concern for soil loss and a
respect for natural regeneration is paramount.
Stand on the outskirts of the Biriya forest near
Tzfat and burnt trees are still surrounded by
green. But enter into the forest and a different
story unfolds. (The two most charred forests
were in the Naftali Ridge, where 70% was
destroyed, and the Biriya Forest.)

I

((

According to Paul Ginsberg, director of the
Forest Department in JNF's Northern Region,
"much of the forest area in Biriya has steep
slopes. It is important to make sure that soil ero-
sion is not sped up by logging too many trees at
once. So we are leaving a lot of the burnt trees
and will wait to see if they reseed and what nat-
ural vegetation occurs.
"We are clearing about 250 acres for imme-
diate replanting and the clearing, pruning,
preparing, and planting is how we will keep the
Israeli public involved, which we believe is very
important. People all over the country, if not the

world, are identifying with this
tragedy. It is important to keep them
as stakeholders in this endeavor."
Each year will bring with it addi-
tional clearing and replanting. It is
estimated that the initial replanting
process will take five years and
about $40 million; it will take 50
years for the forests to be as they
were. The process will also include
the maintenance of firebreaks —
geographical gaps within forests
that block the progress of fires — and
salvage cutting which decreases
density and vermin, helps control
forest fires, and rids the forest of unhealthy trees
that have less reserve and are unable to fight off
parasites and disease.
"We are trying to find the silver lining to this
dark cloud," said Ginsberg, "and trying to spin it
positively." But as Shimon Ben-Gigi, a JNF
forester, said as he made his rounds, examining
each tree from head to toe to determine which
to spare, "Usually I mark the ones to take down.
Now I mark the ones that still have a chance."
In response to the war in northern Israel,
JNF launched Operation Northern Renewal, a
10-year, $400 million campaign to rebuild and
renew northern Israel and make it home again
for its residents.
Reforestation is one part of the campaign.
Other aspects include upgrading parks and
recreation sites; developing tourism; preparing
land for agriculture and providing research
and development; working on preparedness
(more fire trucks, accessible hydrants and
equipment storage); the purchase of a fire-
fighting airplane; year-round camps for chil-
dren; a housing loan program to encourage
families to move to the north; funding of
Hugey Sayarut, Israel's elite youth movement;
and volunteer activities.

Please help us restore the north.

Call your local JNF office at 248 324-

-

3080 or visit us online at www.jnf.org

to learn more.