Having swapped countless trees for thousands of acres of scorched earth, the affected areas are in a very fragile ecological state.\u00a0 Disrupting it further by initiating tree-planting campaigns would be counterproductive at best. The reason, as explained to me in detail by our top ecologists at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, is twofold.<\/p>\n
First, the destructive nature of the tree-planting process itself could do untold damage to the fragile soil. While most people who \u201cdonate trees\u201d to Israel maintain the romanticized notion that small teams plant the trees by hand, the reality is that the process has \u201cevolved\u201d to become an industrial-style undertaking. Because so many of the trees and other plants that had been protecting the soil are now gone, the threats of severe soil erosion and runoff due to wind and rain are very serious. Tree-planting staff and vehicles entering the sensitive areas would erode the soil further, leading to unnecessary long-term damage.<\/p>\n
Second, forests are capable of rejuvenating naturally, so planting additional trees would be redundant and harmful, with seedlings and saplings competing for nutrients and room to grow. As such, the rehabilitation process must rely on the natural renewal capabilities of the affected region based on the natural seed bank found in the ground itself, not on initiated tree planting.<\/p>\n
Knowing all this, you can understand why ecologists from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel are urging the public to allow nature to run its course. It\u2019s clear to us that the only way forward is patience, careful planning and consultation with experts in the field.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake: Being patient doesn\u2019t mean sitting idle. We need to simultaneously launch a full-scale ecological survey to see how the affected areas are reacting naturally, and begin the development of \u201cbuffer zones\u201d between human living areas and the previously wooded areas.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath of forest fires, highly adaptive and \u201copportunistic\u201d plants like pine trees begin to overwhelm the affected areas. Our biggest challenge is effectively diluting these young seedlings so they won\u2019t develop and create a dense carpet of green cover. If we mobilize teams quickly, we can prevent this and create a less dense and more patchy and diverse vegetation cover. If we allow the pine trees to grow \u2013 or support campaigns to plant even more pine trees in the devastated areas \u2013 we will do great damage to the natural balance and set the stage for yet another wildfire, due to the species\u2019 repeatedly proven high flammability.<\/p>\n
The final stage of the healing process is education. In addition to promoting the information stated above, we must also make the Israeli public understand that the slow and natural regrowth of our Mediterranean shrubland and grassland is not a failure \u2013 it is what\u2019s best for the land that we love. Though many well-intentioned Zionists might prefer the image of trees standing tall in a majestic Israeli forest, the truth is that the shrubland ecosystem is a high-value area for biodiversity and must be protected. In addition, Israel sorely needs more open spaces to mitigate its cycle of wildfires.<\/p>\n
We can no longer afford to act first and ask questions later. We cannot blindly do whatever feels right without consulting the experts. We must find options that will enrich our biodiversity.<\/p>\n
As winter sets in, it may be difficult to see that patience and planning is, in fact, the way forward. But when all the affected areas are green and lush this spring, we will all be happy that we stood our ground.<\/p>\n
(Jay Shofet is the director of partnerships and development at\u00a0<\/em>the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel,<\/em><\/a>\u00a0the oldest and largest environmental nonprofit organization in Israel. He previously served as the executive director of the Jerusalem-based Green Environment Fund.)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Share](\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\")