It wasn’t enough that less than two years ago Israel’s Carmel forest areas suffered one of the worst fires in Israel’s modern history . Nearby communities like the Ein Hod artist village and Kibbutz Beit Oren suffered considerable damage to both property and forested areas. A new menace has now destroyed some of this area’s oldest oak trees. This menace, in the form of sheer vandalism, has resulted in the cutting down of eight large trees, some of them indigenous oak trees said to be hundreds of years old. 

Two oak trees that are shown in a photo above look as if they have been cut by a motorized chain saw. Nathan Elbaz of the National Parks Service, told Yney that the vandalized trees were discovered during a routine area inspection by park workers. Although illegal tree cutting and chopping occurs frequently in northern Israel, these incidents appear to have been  acts of vandalism since the felled trees were left where they lay.

In an interview with  local treehugger Oded Yaffe, who takes care of sick and injured trees all over Israel,  he told us at Green Prophet that he saw this sad news on TV and says that “whoever did this thing is really crazy, and can just as much kill someone on the road in a ‘hit and run’ incident.”

Yaffe, who takes care of sick and injured trees all over Israel, didn’t want to pin this incident on a “nationalistic” or Anti-Semitic incident; but fears that the motives behind this kind of behavior could be far reaching. “It’s like a kindergarten teacher telling her young charges that trees are problematic and should be dealt with accordingly. In reality, the children and the teacher need to be given more education as to the value of trees to people,” he says.

Yaffe also talked about some recent tree damage incidents in populated locations like Herzlia and Petach Tikvah in which trees like eucalyptus were severely damaged and three of of them actually killed. “It’s as if they were shot by a gun,” he says.

Regarding his work in trying to restore trees, which has been publicized a lot by the media, Yaffe says that “many people  are still  not aware of the work I do to help save and restore trees. More awareness needs to be done to make the general public more appreciative to the contribution trees make in  improving our lives.”

Read more on trees and forests in Israel:
Treehugger Friend to Sick Trees
Kibbutz Recovers from Killer Forest Fire by Going Green
Jewish World to Rehabilitate Damaged Carmel Forest
Worst Fire in Israel’s Modern History Continues to Rage Out of Control

The post Vandals Target Ancient Oaks and Pines With Chainsaw in Israel appeared first on Green Prophet.

Fourteen months after Israel’s worst environmental wildfires destroyed more than 7,500 acres of Carmel mountain forests and claimed 42 lives,  a report issued by the office of Israel’s State Comptroller is  directing the blame for not dealing quickly and properly enough to contain these fires at two government cabinet ministers. The two cabinet ministers, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Interior Minister Eli Yishai, have been blamed for the major responsibility, according to a recent article in Haaretz. The two ministers are being asked in a report by the State Comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, to be removed from their present ministerial portfolios and assigned other portfolios.

The causes of the December 2-6, 2010 wildfires have still not been definitely assigned, although accounts at the time of the fire point to possible acts of arson or negligence. This includes reports of being lit by what many are calling illegal trash burning in the largely Druze inhabited Carmel mountain town of Osifiya.

The Haaretz article stated that harsh criticism for negligence in regards to not providing ample funds to finance adequate firefighting equipment prior to the fire is expected to be aimed at finance minister Steinitz. Interior minister Yishai, although admitting that the state of preparedness for fighting large wildfires was grossly inadequate, did not appropriate funds from his own ministry to alleviate the problem. Both ministers are also being accused of not acting fast enough to authorize the mobilization of government resources quickly enough once the scale of the wildfires became known.

One year later, the situation regarding adequate resources for fighting such wildfires has still not shown much improvement, however. What has happened is more rain fell during the month of November 2011, as well as in the month of January, 2012. This rainfall has dampened the forest areas and has helped reduce the danger of new wildfires.

Carmel Forest areas damaged by the wildfires are still in the process of recovery; as well as communities like Kibbutz Beit Oren. Beit Oren suffered substantial damage to its forest areas as well as to residential housing units. Besides rebuilding fire damaged structures, the kibbutz is  also adopting new policies that include more green projects in and around the kibbutz.

Whether the recommendations of State Comptroller Lindenstrauss’ report are actually carried out still remains to be seen. But in any case, it makes everyone more aware that the responsibility “buck” ends at the top of the political totem poll; which in this case is Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu himself.

Photo: Skyscrapercity.com

Read more on the December 2010 Carmel Forest wildfires:

Worst Wildfires in Israel’s Modern History Continue to Rage Out of Control
Kibbutz Recovers From Killer Forest Fires by Going Green
Israel Carmel Fire: Taking Stock of How it Happened

The post Israel’s Carmel Wildfire Blame Goes All the Way to the Top appeared first on Green Prophet.

The 2010 Carmel Forest wildfires said to have been the worst such fires in Israel’s history, not only burnt down more than 3,036 hectares (7,500 acres) of forest and brush land and killed 44 people, it also caused moderate to severe damage to area communities.

Kibbutz Beit Oren, located 15 km south of Haifa, sits on the Carmel mountain range, and was right in the path of the fires, which caused significant damage to a number of apartment housing units on the village’s southern side, as well as to forest and garden areas belonging to the kibbutz. Their response: go green.

I visited the village on the one year anniversary of the fires, to see what this community is doing to recuperate and rebuild from the catastrophic fires that had a great physical and psychological affect on the inhabitants.

Rotenberg points out areas now starting to recuperate from the fires.

The Carmel forest itself is still in the early process of recuperating from the wildfires, including plans by the Jewish National Fund to replant thousands of seedlings in the burnt out areas. Knowledgeable forestry experts now say that the best help that can be given to the Carmel forest is simply to let it regenerate itself.

On the way up the narrow two-lane road that travels though a part of the Carmel forest that if often referred to as “little Switzerland” I noticed the irony of the fires in which part of the forests were virtually untouched, while other parts had been reduced to blackened remains of pine, oak, carob and other forest trees that were destroyed by the intense heat of the fires.

Upon arriving at the kibbutz, I met Mr. Sela Rotenberg, Beit Oren’s environmentalist and eco-tour guide. Rotenberg, who is in charge of the forests and landscaping in the kibbutz, as well as a number of environmental projects going on there, explained what happened during the December 2-6 2010 wildfires, in which a number of residents lost their homes and most of their personal possessions:

“Forty houses and apartments, plus their contents were destroyed in the fires. 34 are a total loss and 5 have been repaired. For the first month after the fires, those who had to flee their homes were put up in our hotel, which was not damaged by the fires.

“The government came and built the Caravillot prefab houses in one month, and now those who were dispossessed by the fires live in these homes.”

Rotenberg showed areas where the forests were spared by the fires, while adjacent areas were totally destroyed:

“Here there were mostly pine trees, while over there (pointing to areas still green) there were more fire resistant trees like oak. It doesn’t how the fires started. What is important now is how the forest areas are restored. I believe that what is needed is proper forest management, and to let the forests repair themselves.”

Rotenberg says the proper forest management includes thinning out thick brushy areas and planting trees like oak, olive, and carob which are more fire resistant than pine:

“Pines grow much quicker and can reach maturity in 15-20 years, while oak and carob take as long as 50 years. However, pine trees are very flammable and cannot regenerate themselves if severely damaged in a fire, while trees like oak can.”

In addition to showing areas that had already begun to regenerate, where tiny pine and other types of saplings could be seen already growing, Rotenberg pointed out some of the kibbutz’s environmental projects.

Chicken power from the sun

These  include a number of recycling bins, a large organic garden that all kibbutz members are able to use to grow vegetables in, and a solar energy panel array atop one of the kibbutz’s chicken runs.

“The electricity produced by these solar panels are enough to provide some of the lighting in the kibbutz and all of the lighting for the chicken coups themselves” he said.

Beit Oren’s organic garden

Rotenberg says that the environmental projects at the kibbutz have been ongoing for some time and that since the fires, the projects importance have been increased.

Beit Oren (Pine House in English) was given this name due to the large numbers of pine trees in this area when the kibbutz was founded in 1933. But due to fires, the kibbutz itself is now going to plant more oak and other hardwoods.

“These recent fires come on the heels of previous fires which cause the forest regeneration to take even longer. For this reason, we need to be involved in better forest management. Pine trees are no all bad as they shed their needles which make a natural compost for other trees like oak.

“The pines die sooner, and allow oaks and other hardwoods to take their place. We now have to be more conscious of our total environment as there is less water available and this results in area dryness and the possibility of future fires. Only with proper forest management can we help to prevent this serious a fire from occurring again,” says Rotenberg.

Read more on the Carmel fires and their aftermath:
After the Fire, Israel’s Carmel Forest Doesn’t Need Our Help
Jewish World to Rehabilitate Carmel Forest
Worst Fire in Israel’s Modern History Continues to Rage Out of Control

The post Kibbutz Recovers from Killer Forest Fires by Going Green appeared first on Green Prophet.

In an attempt to maintain Israel’s forests and prevent forest fires in the future, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and the Jewish National Fund enlist tourists to become “Foresters for a Day.”

About a year ago, the Carmel forest in northern Israel suffered the worst fire in the nation’s modern history and 5,000 hectares of forest land were destroyed.  Several Jewish organizations around the world have made efforts to rehabilitate the damaged forest (despite the theories of some ecologists that replanting too soon could disturb the forest’s natural healing process).  Joining their efforts now is the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) with a “Forester for a Day” program that will educate eco-tourists about the fire and take steps to prevent forest fires in the future.

During the 2-3 hour program, volunteers work alongside KKL-JNF foresters to take preventative measures against future fires such as clearing underbrush, pruning trees, and preparing fire breaks and forest paths.

Available Sunday through Friday during daylight hours, the “Forester for a Day” program is intended for groups and the group size can vary between 15-150 people.  As it wishes to appeal to a variety of eco-tourists, the program is available in English, French, German and Spanish.

The cost of the program is low (only $18), and after their volunteer work the honorary foresters receive Certificates of Appreciation from the KKL-JNF (in addition to a KKL-JNF hat and pin).

:: Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund

Read more about the Carmel forest fire in Israel:
Worst Fire in Israel’s Modern History Continues to Rage Out of Control
Jewish World to Rehabilitate Damaged Carmel Forest
After the Fire: Israel’s Carmel Forest Doesn’t Need Our Help

The post Eco-Tourists to Israel Can Now Be a “Forester For a Day” appeared first on Green Prophet.

Rehabilitation of the severely fire damaged Carmel Forest is one of main topics being discussed in the week long World Leadership Conference of Israel’s Jewish National Fund being held in Jerusalem. The annual conference for leaders in one of the country’s most important conservation and forestry organizations, will devote part of its agenda to reviewing plans to rehabilitate the Carmel Forest and mountain range, which was severely burnt by the massive wildfires which burned out of control for several days during the early part of December, 2010.

Usafia -where the Carmel fire began

The fire, which burnt down more than 5,000 hectares (12,350 acres) and cost millions of dollars in damages and 45 lives was the worst natural disaster in Israel’s 62 year history.

It is estimated that a generation will pass before the destroyed forest and natural brush areas of the Carmel will be sufficiently restored; and some areas may never fully recover to what they were prior to the fires, due to the reality of less annual rainfall from global warming and climate change.

One of the highlights of the conference will be a special tour of the damaged forests areas, especially those from abroad. They will see the sad results of the fires, which were only brought fully under control when the winds shifted and some rainfall finally fell to put out fires that even an international effort of fire brigades and airborne water tankers had difficulty in quelling.

Another important program of the conference is the prevention of “desertification” and sandstorms which are now a very serious consequence of climate change, especially in the Middle East.

Israel’s efforts to conserve and increase its water supply reserves will also be a part of this conference as well as participation in the country’s Spring National Clean Up Day on March 29^th. But the main emphasis will be rejuvenating the Carmel Forest, which has been an important part of the Jewish National Fund’s forestry efforts in Israel during its long 110 year history.

Read more on Israel and Middle Eastern Environment issues:

Israel Arbor Day Concentrates on Green Development Projects

Arab World and Med Region More Vulnerable to Climate Change

Worst Wildfire in Israel’s History Continues to Burn Out of Control

Water Wars in the Past: Five Middle East Countries Tackle Sandstorms

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