Now, a new Israeli study has explored different ways to expand the use of this simple and ecological practice and to encourage goat grazing in Israel. Goats contribute to fire prevention by eating the excess vegetation in areas where plant growth is dense and scrubby (such as forests), making it more difficult for fires to spread.

Animals, such as cows and sheep, also aid in thinning out the vegetation, but they mostly feed on grasses, while goats prefer to eat bushes and low branches of trees (and sometimes even stand on their hind legs to reach them).

When the shrubs and lower tree branches are thinner, it’s harder for a fire that ignites at ground level to climb upwards. Therefore, a situation where flames reach the treetops and begin to spread from top to top, causing a small local fire to become a dangerous uncontrolled forest fire that quickly consumes many acres of woodland might be avoided.

In the past, there was widespread goat grazing in Israel, which was significantly reduced following the Plant Protection Law (goat damage), also known as the “Black Goat Law”, named after a common breed among Bedouins in Israel.

This law, enacted in 1950 and widely enforced since 1978, significantly restricted goat grazing, leading to a decrease in the number of goats (especially in the Carmel Mountains) from 15,000 in 1970 to only 2,000 in 2013.

Over the years, evidence of the benefits of forest fire prevention through grazing has accumulated, and the law was repealed in 2018 – but the extent of grazing in Israel is still limited.

The problem: more freedom, less milk

According to the new study, grazing does have benefits for farmers (such as providing free food for animals). However, in order to expand goat grazing in Israel, several major issues have to be addressed, relating mainly to the central agricultural purpose of goat rearing: milk and its products.

When goats depend on a diet given to them in a controlled environment like a shed, farmers can choose food for them that helps to increase their milk yield, while free-ranging goats that are feeding on pasture, tend to produce less milk.

In addition, it’s difficult for goats of the European breed, which are widespread in Israel, to graze in the Israeli climate and terrain, so they must be reared and held in sheds. Locally-bred goats, well adapted to the region, may have no trouble grazing, but produce less milk than their European relatives.

Beyond that, pastures also have direct costs, because a shepherd is needed to at all times to accompany the herd out in the pastures.

According to Dr. Liron Amador, a researcher at the Open Landscape Institute (OLI) of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University, and co-author of the new research study, human assistance is indispensable when grazing is carried out to prevent fires.

“Someone must direct the herd to the recommended places, like sites with very thick vegetation, or areas close to residential areas where grazing will help protect communities from fires,” she says.

Grazing in open areas also presents technical challenges, because even when goats go out to pasture, it is necessary to build some kind of temporary stable for them, which serves as a warm shelter at night, as well as a dairy.

These buildings must be located no more than 2 miles from the area where the herd is grazing, as goats find it difficult to cope with larger distances, which makes it necessary, in some cases, to build them in the open space – which might cause harm to the environment.

Encourage amateur shepherds

Supported by the Jewish National Fund’s Forestry Division, the OLI is also looking at different methods to see how grazing as fire-prevention can be expanded.

To that end, the researchers are conducting surveys among sheep breeders and representatives of organizations in the field, checking different factors in relevant locations, and performing geographical analyzes.

One of the researcher’s suggestions was to encourage goat grazing among amateur growers.

More specifically, village residents who raise goats as a hobby, but are often not taken into account by the officials because their number of goats are small (between a few and a few dozen). The researchers found that under certain conditions, such as receiving logistic or financial aid, these breeders would agree to slightly increase their herds and let them graze around their neighborhoods. “They already know how to raise goats, and they like it, so why not? We need the small herds,” says Amador.

As a solution to the problem of building enclosure in natural areas, the researchers proposed to place the buildings adjacent to the edges of agricultural settlements.

In a geographical analysis of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council (an area in the Jerusalem District of Israel), the researchers found that due to the relatively short distances between the communities, goats grazing would be possible in almost all the areas where it is needed, without harming protected areas or nature reserves.

Another direction the researchers have looked at is establishing mobile goat herds. Such a venture has been in existence for a decade, launched by JNF in Mateh Yehuda together with a group of Bedouin shepherds.

Every year, for a period of several months, the shepherds come from the northern Negev to the Jerusalem Mountains and stay in mobile facilities.

In exchange for grazing in the area, goat owners receive benefits for their herds, such as subsidies, vaccines, water, and supplementing food when needed. The researchers found that there is a potential to establish mobile herds in the north of the country, especially by shepherds and volunteer organizations such as the “New Guard.”

“The understanding among the rural and urban communities how important and beneficial goat grazing is in certain areas needs to be strengthened,” says Amador.

According to Amador, grazing as a form of fire prevention is also being tested or planned to be carried out in communities such as Haifa, Kiryat Tivon, and Kokhav Ya’ir.

“A change is happening. In many places, communities come to realize that grazing is a more lucrative and environmentally benign option than mechanically cutting down the vegetation, and dumping it in waste sites.

Instead, you can take out a herd of goats that does all the work,” Amador concludes.

This article is courtesy of ZAVIT.

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“Trees can sense that you’ve come to help them“ – Oded Yaffe: Photo by Ilya Melnikov

Helping to save and protect trees is an ongoing task in a small countries like Israel and Jordan that have been frequently plagued by wildfires. And by over development in Jordan. One dedicated person, Oded Yaffe who has devoted his life to saving sick and damaged trees is worth talking about. 

Ancient oak tree in Katzrin Talmudic Village: Another Oded Yaffe friend?

Yaffe is a product of the “old School” of concerned agricultural workers or agronomists who specialize in improving the quality of plants for use in food, feed, fuel and soil reclamation. Yaffe has taken this science one step further by specializing in plant physiology; especially that of trees. Yaffe’s homespun philosophy is told like this:

“When I come to a badly ailing and examine it for signs of life, I feel that it knows someone has come to take care of it. I feel that its response to my concern enables it to rehabilitate itself. If someone comes and just injects fertilizer into the tree, without soul, the tree won’t bee rehabilitated. Trees enjoy being treated like human beings,” he said in a recent Haaretz article.

Yaffe began working with trees back in the days when large scale tree planting was the norm all over the land of Israel, some of which is now within the confines of the Palestinian Authority. His tree saving expertise has become so well known that he has often been contacted by Palestinian farmers and agronomists who ask his advice on saving olive and other trees that have been damaged by either neglect or outright abuse – sometimes at the hands of Jewish settlers “who injected weed killer poisons into orchards.

“Dozens of Palestinians from Judea and Samaria as well as the Gaza Strip call me to receive advise, which I give them on the phone in a combination of Hebrew and Arabic. I’m a professional; anyone who wants help from me will get it.”

One particularly ancient  tree, a oak estimated to be at least 700 years old is  located in the West Bank Jewish town of Alon Shvut (Oak of Return). Yaffe took care of it by supporting braces with braces and injecting it with vitamins and medication. “I may be helping the same farmers here who have damaged Palestinian orchards, but this is part of my job,” he says.

The Tree Man is acutely aware of other regional locations where many old and even ancient trees are in danger due to neglect and new climate change realities, such as in the case of  the biblical cedars in Lebanon.

Yaffe, together with his son Uri Yaffe himself a professional agricultural researcher, travel about in a mobile laboratory to find more eco friendly ways to help preserve and sustain both agricultural crops and forests all over Israel.

One of their “green” projects involves the development of a non-toxic pest spray developed in the 1990’s by Dr. Samuel Gan-Mor, head of the department of agricultural engineering at the Volcani Institute, who developed a safe pest control spray made from various types of edible cooking oils.

Both Yaffes have been working together since 2006 on this project, experimenting with various types of oil mixtures until they found one best suited for regional crops. The spray was recently approved by Israel’s Agriculture Ministry, who say it may be one of the most innovative natural products to be developed in recent years.

“The spray is effective against a very broad range of pests and diseases. This saves both time and money, as utilizing the mixture takes lest time and is less expensive than conventional products,” says Yaffe.

He adds that since it is non-poisonous, farmers to not have to wait until harvest time in order to make sure that fruits and vegetables are safe to eat by humans.

But in regards to trees, Oded Yaffe’s primary love, he continues to go about the country taking care of old, sick and damaged trees. “Trees are like people in that we can’t prevent their death. What is most important is to keep planting healthy new ones to replace the ones who are no able carry on. This is best that we can do for them – keep planting new life to replace what can no longer survive.”

::Haaretz/Ilya Melnikov

Read more on trees:

After the Fire: Israel’s Carmel Forest Doesn’t Need Our Help

Kibbutz Recovers From Killer Forest Fires by Going Green

Jordan Reconsiders Deforestation Plans

Can the Cedars of Lebanon Survive Climate Change?

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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.

David Brand (pictured above in the middle), Head Forester of KKL-JNF and Israeli delegate to the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, gives us an insider perspective on the conference.

Delegates from all over the world have gathered at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico (COP16) for almost a week now, and discussions will continue until December 10th.  COP16/CMP6 is the 16th edition of Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) and the 6th Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP).  After many environmentalists were disappointment with the previous UN conference on climate change, many are hoping that some more drastic measures will be taken in Cancun.

We were fortunate enough to have David Brand, Head Forester of Keren Kayemet Le Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and one of the Israeli delegates to the conference tell us a little about himself, his environmental background, and his experiences in Cancun.

Please tell me a little bit about yourself and how you first became inspired to work in the field of environmental conservation.

I am 55 years old, married with 3 children, live in a “Moshav”. In my childhood my father used to teach me a lot about nature (the structure of galaxies, the Milky Way, etc.). We would explore the forests and hills every weekend. I had snake and scorpion in my room and of course a dog and a cat.

I loved to watch and examine animal behavior.

What does your position as the Head Forester of KKL-JNF entail?

I am responsible for the overall well being of the forests in Israel and all that entails. Including: the overall program for forest management, professional knowledge in the areas of seed collection, nursery practices, tree improvement program, biological control of pests, fire fighting & GIS. In the forest department we have 2 sections:

a. Forest management and GIS section

b. Forestry and professional development

Under each section there are several professional units:

a. Forest management and GIS section – the section guide the three regions of KKL, how and when to cultivate (thinning, pruning etc.) the forest. This section is also in charge of all the data which we collect and monitoring in our forests. This section organizes all the internal courses, workshops that we conducted to our foresters. The GIS unit analyzes and supply updated data and maps to all the foresters and colleagues in other green organizations and academic institute.

b. Forestry and professional development section – the section is in charge on our seed bank. We collect fruits and seeds from over 150 species and extracts seeds in order to produce seedlings. We guide and update the nurseries with advanced knowledge regarding nursery practices. We monitor the health of our forests and promote research that will encourage the use of biological control against our forest pests. We have a special unit that deals with tree improvement (selection of elite trees that have better resistance to drought, and better tolerance to pests and diseases. We are in charge professionally of all the KKL’s orchards (olive and carob).

c. Prevention of fire – this unit is in charge of the best practices to fight forest fires.

d. Research & Development – We conduct more than 50 researches with collaboration with senior researchers from several academic institutes with a yearly budget of 5 million shekels. Our findings are not only for the benefit of KKL forests but for the benefit (free of charge) of foresters from many countries all over the world.

e. Our practical experience and advanced knowledge are well known all over the world and we are sharing this knowhow with many developing countries.

We understand that three delegates from Israeli environmental organizations (Professor David Mahalal of Transport Today & Tomorrow, Dana Tabachnik of Adam Teva v’Din and Dr. Hussein Terabia) will be joining the formal delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun. Please tell me a little about the members of the formal Israeli delegation traveling with you to the conference.

We are members of the Israeli delegation. The Ministry of Environment leads the delegation and chose various delegates from other governmental ministries, municipalities and other state agencies.

Do you feel optimistic that firm decisions will be made during the Cancun conference that were not reached during the recent Copenhagen conference or other previous UN climate change conferences?

No, the feeling here unfortunately, is that no substantial agreement will be made.

How do you feel that the Israeli delegation in particular can contribute to the conference? Do you feel that you have a unique perspective as compared with other delegations due to the harsh climatic conditions of the Middle East?

We have a special perspective and have the experience that most countries do not in this field and thus, have a lot to offer to developing countries who are facing the same problems we have in arid and semi arid zones. We think that with KKL’s experience and knowhow we can turn climate threats to opportunities. By proper management of soil and water resources we can turn climate threats into opportunities. The ancient farmers in the Negev in Southern Israel were using the system of runoff water harvesting. They were redistributing water resources. By water harvesting they enriched patches / sections of land with resources and at the same time they were reducing erosion and land degradation.

Today we are using the old methods for the rehabilitation of large degraded areas of the Negev with modern techniques and knowledge.

Climate models are forecasting a decrease in rainfall amount and an increase in rainfall intensities. Higher rain intensities will result in an increase in runoff rates and erosion. By proper management of the runoff we can collect more water and store more water into the ground for planted trees and herbaceous vegetation.

This knowledge can help developing countries or international agencies that support developing communities all over the world.

In which portions of the conference do you plan to participate?

All discussions relating to forestry, side events that deal with forestry and the effect of climate change on ecological systems. We have a booth at the conference and most of our time we are going to stand at our booth. Many officials from developing countries, UN agencies, and several NGO representatives were very interested in collaborating with JNF.

Do you feel that the Israeli government is committed to reducing carbon emissions and reducing its negative impact on climate change?

The Ministry of Environmental Protection is fully committed, but I believe that other government ministries still need to make more of a commitment and enlarge their awareness.

Read more about the previous UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen::
The Middle Eastern View of Copenhagen
Lebanon’s Wael Hmaidan from IndyACT Reports from Copenhagen While “Saving the Planet”
COP 15 Outcome: A Weak Climate Change Agreement, Disappointed Environmentalists, and “Oil Business as Usual” in the Middle East

The post Interview with David Brand, Israeli Delegate to the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun (COP16) appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Middle East, perhaps because of its challenging environment, has seen the genesis of many environmental discoveries and techniques. Some of these are so ancient and ubiquitous that we take them for granted: domestic animals; agriculture; and of course cities. The five discoveries listed here range in age from seven thousand years to cutting-edge, and yet they all remain important today.

Irrigation qanats from Iran

Agricultural irrigation has been invented at many times and places. However, by far the earliest civilizations to use irrigation were the Egyptians and Mesopotamians.

Irrigation systems in the fertile crescent were used to raise barley in otherwise arid land; they date back to at least 5,000 BC, and quite possibly earlier. Some of these systems, such as the qanats in Iran, are still in use today after nearly 3000 years of operation.

This very long history has been fraught with difficulties, and middle eastern societies have wrestled with problems of line failure, evaporative loss, and salinization. Today, for instance, Israel produces some of the most efficient point-irrigation technology in the world.

Windmills of Yadz

Windmills did not appear in Europe until the 1200s, but they are mentioned in Persian texts as early as the 600s AD, and al-Masudi’s description of Sistan in 950 AD makes it clear that they were already commonplace in that region. (It seems likely that waterwheels are also of Middle Eastern origin, but the earliest known examples are Roman.)

The vast bulk of all wind power, historically, has been used to drive sailing vessels. Still, after a millennium and a half, fixed-point wind power remains one of the most promising methods of generating clean energy.

Harvesting Fertilizer from Doves

The famous medieval dovecotes or pigeon towers of Esfahan, in Iran, are usually regarded as architectural attractions. But they are also the most visible part of a larger technology: harvesting fertilizer.The purpose of the dovecotes is to harvest nitrogen and phosphorus from pigeon droppings, and replenish the marginal soils of the region.

A related, though less dramatic technique is to graze sheep and goats over gardens after the harvest. There is an important environmental lesson here.

Just as early societies struggled to avoid using high-quality fertilizer as low-quality fuel, modern societies struggle to recycle livestock waste, while we simultaneously expend large sums on producing synthetic fertilizer.

Reforestation and Erosion Control

The Middle East was heavily deforested by the dawn of history, and combatting erosion and desertification have been constant challenges. It has long been both the birthplace and the best testing grounds for erosion control techniques, ranging from ancient terracing to modern synthetic, modular water diversion blocks.

Israel has run a particularly successful reforestation campaign in the last half-century, being one of relatively few countries worldwide to show a net gain in forest cover. Israeli immigrant Moshe Alamaro has also been one of the major proponents of aerial reforestation, using repurposed military technologies to plant seedlings in remote or hard-to-access regions.

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