After the fires, KKL-JNF foresters estimate the damage and make plans for the area that was burned. In the past, the burnt trees were immediately removed from the area and the planting of new trees began the first winter after the fires. Now, however, in certain areas, KKL-JNF foresters wait and do an in-depth study of the burnt area.
Some trees, particularly evergreen forest trees, regenerate after fires. The Canary Island pine, for example, has the ability to regenerate after forest fires. If the fire was not particularly intense, or if it passed through the forest relatively quickly, a tree that appears burnt may actually still be alive and capable of regeneration. Wherever this is not the case, tree planting will begin this winter.
Getting organized to rehabilitate a forest is a complicated matter that begins at the KKL-JNF nurseries. The purpose of the nurseries is to supply seedlings to the rehabilitated areas, according to the planting program.
After the Second Lebanese War, KKL-JNF foresters studied the areas that had been burnt and decided to change some of the tree species previously planted in them. Instead of pines, cedars were planted along with oaks, terebinths, arbutus, carob trees and even some fruit trees – pomegranates, figs and mulberries. Besides replanting, the taking over of the area by the pine seeds has to be prevented. They tend to proliferate after fires, and they have to be thinned out, according to needs of each individual area.
Supporting KKL-JNF's work of planting and maintaining forests has always been one of the most meaningful expressions of solidarity with Israel and KKL-JNF by friends and supporters around the world. In our modern world, in which human activity is often the cause of damage to the environment, your support for our forest rehabilitation or maintenance projects is creating a better and healthier environment for Israel and the entire planet.