The Ecological Principle: Biodiversity and Ecological Services as Guiding Principles of Afforestation Policy

The KKL-JNF places great importance on nurturing biodiversity within its forests. Biodiversity has increased in managed forests, so that they now represent a broad spectrum of habitats in which “patches” create a rich fabric of forest trees. The increase in diversity in the KKL-JNF managed forests should be manifested in a diversity of species, age, and layers in the forests, all within the limits of KKL-JNF’s ability to maintain a reasonable and efficient management regime.

A combination of woodlands and open spaces containing natural habitats enables, among other things, diverse services to the vacationing / recreating public. Those visiting rest areas to picnic will enjoy the shady groves, and at the same time will be able to view and experience natural treasures; those coming to hike and vacation in the heart of nature will be able to encounter diverse landscapes containing varied natural phenomena.

Establishing and developing flora components in Israel ’s forests is driven by the existing physical conditions, at the heart of which is integrating the appropriate lands with the quantity of available water. Every forested area should constitute an expression of the optimal diversity of trees and shrubs appropriate for the specific habitat. Consistent with this plan, the KKL-JNF strives to adjust plantings to the habitats and diversity of trees growing and being renewed naturally at every site, and particularly avoid planting invasive species of trees such as the Blue Leaf Wattle / Blue Acacia, Chinese Tree of Heaven, and Mesquite .

Southern Israel enjoys scant rainfall and as a result, nature has created patches of vegetation between which most of the land remains empty. As one goes further north, rainfall increases and the forest trees create a “labyrinth” that is suitable for hiking and recreation. In the center of Israel and northward, where rainfall is relatively high, there are full forests.

This gradient of rainfall quantities creates natural variety and diverse landscape patterns, reflecting the quantity of available water, according to which the vegetation makeup and groundcover also varies, creating a climax for each habitat. It is important to establish forests that foster maximum compatibility of trees to environmental conditions and extensive, knowledge-intensive management methods, together with the nurturing of natural processes and minimum intervention by foresters.

Experience shows that in forests planted by humans, natural thinning is not an efficient way to strengthen the forest, and overcrowding creates a forest that is inaccessible to visitors, composed of weak trees that are vulnerable to pests. Therefore, in those areas where the KKL-JNF continues to plant trees, so as not to depend on natural renewal, it will plant at a density compatible with the purposes of the forest and the quality of the habitat. Concurrently, it will make every effort to adhere to management and thinning protocols, based on the life cycle of the specific forest.

Weeds are the largest competitors for planted and renewed forest trees at the nascent stage. Up until now, spraying of the planted plots and paths with herbicides was considered the least costly and most efficient way of fighting weeds, with little consideration given to external costs. In an effort to establish sustainable management practices, the KKL-JNF will minimize the use of herbicides while striving to keep the use of all substances harmful to humans and nature to a minimum, and to halt the use of the compound Simzine by the end of 2007. In order to implement this decision, relevant studies, surveys, and experiments will be conducted as expeditiously as possible.

A sustainable afforestation policy requires that pest eradication be carried out only according to integrated pest management practices, through the utilization of biological enemies or the spraying of environmentally friendly compounds. In no circumstances will use of toxins take place in forests, particularly organo-phosphates.

Despite their botanical roles in renewing ecosystems, burning may be dangerous to the forests’ existence and harmful to the ecosystem. In extreme circumstances, burning can even damage the immediate surroundings, including communities and nearby installations. It is therefore incumbent upon the KKL-JNF, as the steward of the forests, to establish a security / fire warning system for the forests. This both involves preventative measures (removing accumulated combustible waste), improvement of firefighter access, and establishing an alert system and independent firefighting capability as accepted in forest services around the world.