32 Years of Partnership between KKL-JNF and the US Forestry Service

USFS delegation with Danny Atar (front row, center) at the Rupin Academic Center.
Photo: Yoav Devir

A delegation headed by Vicki Christiansen, Director of the United States Forest Service, arrived in Israel for a week of tours, professional meetings and discussions, with the intention of continuing and strengthening the many years of cooperation with KKL-JNF.

“I am very proud of the 32 year-long cooperation between our organizations, during which we have been both partners and friends,” said Christiansen. “This is a global world and a global environment, and we need to work together for the benefit of future generations. The personal connection between us is of supreme importance - the technical details are only secondary.”

At a meeting with KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar, which took place at the Rupin Academic Center, Atar said to the guests, “You are visiting us during challenging times, due to the many fires that have broken out over the past few days. The very fact that the relationship between us goes back so many years is very encouraging to us. In spite of the huge difference in size between our two countries, we still have a lot in common and we can learn from one another. I hope that the cooperation between us will deepen and that we will continue to work together.”

On the issue of the fires, Atar added, “This wave of fires was one of the worst that Israel ever experienced, and many people’s entire lives were destroyed. But just as is the case after wars, when we find the way to progress and develop, so too now we will find the road to rehabilitation as quickly as possible.”

A Forestry Journey

For her first professional trip outside the USA as USFS director, Christiansen chose Israel – a testimony to the strong link between the two organizations. On a personal level, this was her first visit to Israel, and she expressed her admiration of the country and KKL-JNF’s development work.
“Cooperation between us began as part of combating wildfires, and since then it has expanded to additional and diverse fields related to forest management, including ecological services, water sources, combatting desertification and forest recreation,” noted KKL-JNF Northern Region and Afforestation Division Director Dr. Omri Boneh.

Over the years, professional teams from both countries have exchanged visits to each other’s countries. “In this way, we share the knowledge and methods that we have developed in order to cope with the many challenges we both face,” Boneh added.

The visit began at Ilanot Forest in the Sharon region for a meeting and a tour. The meeting began with a presentation of KKL-JNF’s many and diverse activities – planting trees, combatting desertification, creating green lungs, attracting visitors to the forests, management of water sources, developing peripheral regions, creating urban parks, educational activities for strengthening the connection between people and the environment, international development and assistance to developing countries in all these fields.

Dr. Omri Boneh described the change in KKL-JNF’s approach to forestry management: “If in the past we spoke about greening the desert, today we are thinking in terms of developing sustainable, multi-aged and diverse forests that do not adversely affect the indigenous vegetation [Savannization]. In fact, we are actually trying to imitate natural forests.”

He also detailed the methods developed by KKL-JNF for planting in semi-arid regions, such as creating limans (shallow pools around planted trees for collecting floodwater) and shikhim (ridges along rows of trees that prevent flooding and erosion).

“I am happy that you are continuing the tradition of meeting with us and dedicating a week of your time to visiting Israel,” said KKL-JNF Lower Galilee Regional Director Gil Atzmon. “It’s possible to send each other documents and to talk on the phone, but when you have a face-to-face meeting and visit the actual sites, the feeling is entirely different. We see the collaboration between us as very important. It has a great influence not only on KKL-JNF, but also on all of Israel. Despite the many differences between our two countries, we have a lot to learn from each other. This special connection has led to friendship and a sense that we are family.”

“KKL-JNF is a unique organization that finds innovative solutions for many challenges,” said Asaf Karavani, Director of the KKL-JNF Forest Management, Research and Foreign Relations Department of the KKL-JNF Afforestation Division. “We are active in diverse fields and have offices all over the world, unlike standard forestry departments.” He emphasized that technologies developed by KKL-JNF in the field of agriculture, combatting desertification, biological pest control and more are made available to developing countries in need.

“The purpose of Israel’s forests is to provide a variety of ecological services,” noted KKL-JNF Ecology Director Yahel Porat. He explained that in Israel, forests have various uses and purposes, such as recreation, heritage sites, natural resources, community forests and research. “We manage our forests according to their various uses, and our goal is to minimize intervention as much as possible.”

Out in the field

After the talks, the Israeli and American foresters went for a walk in Ilanot Forest, led by KKL-JNF Forestry and Professional Development Department Director Aviv Eizenband. He noted that in the 1950’s, the Ministry of Agriculture had planted 700 species of trees from all over the world at this site in order to test their ability to acclimatize in Israel. The forest had stood abandoned for years until KKL-JNF transformed it into a botanical garden. Developing the forest and making it accessible to people with physical limitations was possible thanks to the support of JNF USA. With the support of KKL Denmark, KKL-JNF also built an interactive visitors center at the site.

At a visit to the Carmel Forest together with Israel Nature and Parks Authority officials, the Americans heard KKL-JNF Northern Region Forest Department Director Kalil Adar describe the huge fire that broke out in the region in 2010, and about the terrible tragedy in which 44 prison guards, firefighters and policemen were killed. He went on to detail KKL-JNF’s rehabilitation work and the lessons learned, which will help lessen the danger of wildfires in the future.

“Our organizations work in a similar manner in the field of land development, taking advantage of advanced research,” Christiansen said. “We also face a lot of challenges, including fires, climate change and the expansion of communities on forest lands.”

For USFS International Programs Director Val Mezainis, this was his fourth visit to Israel over the past 23 years.

“I’m happy to come back and see the changes that took place in the meantime. I’m also happy to meet the next generation of foresters. Besides the formal ties related to exchanging knowledge and learning from each other, we’ve become friends and part of the family. Together we’re improving people’s lives through our natural resources – clean air, clean water, enjoying diverse species and preventing fires.”

Building anew

Over the next few days the members of the delegation visited northern Israel – Hula Lake Park and the Lower Galilee region – and southern Israel – Yatir Forest and its surroundings. “I never have seen forests planted in such dry areas anywhere,” said Kathleen Sheridan of the USFS International Programs Department. “We’re here to learn from each other. We are happy to share our knowledge, and we’re also learning from what KKL-JNF does.”

On their way, the members of the delegation stopped in Moshav Mevo Modi’im, where most of the homes were entirely destroyed by the recent wildfire. KKL-JNF Lower Coastal Plain Regional Director Gilad Mastai described the day of the fire:

“We stood here facing the fire and wept. I’ve been protecting this forest for over thirty years. When you see what happened to Mevo Modi’im you can’t help but feel the suffering and pain of the local residents. We will renew the forest and develop it anew – that’s the story of the Jewish people.”
Nurit Hibsher, Director of the KKL-JNF Central Region Forest Department, was formerly the forester of the nearby Ben Shemen Forest.

“It’s so hard to see the forest like this,” she said. “Unlike the United States, we don’t have vast expanses of forests. Ben Shemen Forest is the green lung of Israel’s central region, and it’s important for us to protect every single tree that grows here.”

The members of the delegation walked amongst the burnt houses and cars and got a sense of the extent of the damage. Christiansen told the group about the US Forestry Service’s efforts to protect communities in forest areas.

“In the past, we used to define communities like this as communities in danger of fires. This meant that the government was responsible for protecting them. Today, our message to the inhabitants of these communities is that they themselves have to make certain that they take fires into consideration. Of course, it’s our job to care for the forest, but the communities also have to take responsibility. This might be the time for sitting down with the residents of Mevo Modi’im and thinking about how it might be possible to rebuild their community in a way that protects it from fires.”

In Jerusalem

The members of the delegation dedicated the last day of their visit to touring Jerusalem and the surrounding area. KKL-JNF Mountain Region Director Chanoch Zoref explained to the guests about KKL-JNF’s forest management theory and its implementation in the field. He described the primary goal, which is to provide diverse ecological services for the benefit of local residents, while at the same time maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. In his remarks, he also related to the transition from planting forests to managing forests in accordance with their various uses, and to the shift in approach from total control of what goes on in the forest to minimal intervention.

The visit concluded with the planting of a tree in Aminadav Forest, near the Kennedy Memorial, together with KKL-JNF US Desk Director Liat Yitzhak. Christiansen recited the traditional Planter’s Prayer, and when she read the words “and strengthen the hands of all our sisters and brethren who do this work”, she stopped for a moment and gave an emotional hug to the KKL-JNF foresters.

“I feel a sense of awe towards your vision of protecting and developing the land,” she said, summing up the visit. “Innovation and activism are an important lesson for us to take home. I became a forester out of an aspiration to connect people to the earth, and in KKL-JNF, I found wonderful partners for this task.”