Once upon a time, when we were children, 10 in the tribe signified one thing, along with the dried fruits - the planting. The garden or the classroom would go out to plant, as a sign of the holiday, but also as a sign of true Zionism, through the land. Most of the times we also returned home with a seedling, which was not Lasted a month later. But that's another story.
So yes, boys and girls are still going out to plant saplings throughout Israel, but behind the scenes for some time there has been a struggle between the importance of planting and the current era that poses new challenges and causes the Society for the Protection of Nature and the National Fund for Israel to struggle over the issue of planting, while in the background is the permanent impotence of the legislative authorities that prevent Changes slowly and find it difficult to adapt to the dramatic changes occurring in the global and local climate.
And in general, the corona has done so much good to Israeli nature.
We went to it in droves just to discover how beautiful this country is, but we also discovered how much all the talk about the quality of the environment has changed nothing, and we are still polluting this country that we learned to love through our feet, and it doesn't matter at the moment what sector we come from.
We also learned how the fires that have become commonplace in recent years have changed the perception of what a forest should look like and what is the connection to the cyclists who have become such a significant factor in the planning of the landscape architecture in the Israeli forests.
To discuss all these issues and answer some of the answers, we met with the four leading landscape architects of KKL-Junk, who are responsible for the four largest forested areas in the Holy Land.
Ofri: "Israelis love to travel, but when it comes to preserving nature, they are far behind compared to other places in the world, which is a shame. For example, they always come back to the matter of picking wild flowers. Today, our information, and especially our education, are lacking", Photo: Naama Stern
Landscape architecture - what is it?
Wait, what is landscape architecture anyway when it comes to forests and open spaces and not just public gardens with colorful swings and slides or alternatively private houses with mango and lemon trees?
Don't feel bad, in Israel the field of landscape architecture is on the fringes and has been refined only in the last millennium.
Edna is a big word, of course, because in the end the field is studied for a degree only at the Technion in Haifa, and every year a single digit number of male and female students graduate from it.
For comparison, in countries like Canada, there are hundreds of male and female students and it is a sought-after profession.
With us, it is doubtful if some of the readers of this article even knew about the existence of this profession.
So we went out into the woods and met the four key women in the field: Ofri Hota, an architect in the northern region.
Noa Tal, director of the planning department at KKL-Junk. Neely Stern-Bieber, architect for the southern region. And Bella Nodelman, head of the Central District, who is also our "host" when we meet in the Forest of the Saints, which is so beautiful at this time of the season.
Bella: "There were days in Corona when it was impossible to move in my area. It taught us a lot about the importance of the forest, because we understood that the number of people who arrived was one-time, because the sky was closed, but in 2040 this is the number of people who will live here", photo: Naama Stern
"All my life I have been interested in environmental issues" she explains her choice.
"I went to study landscape architecture, because there is some kind of combination between social and educational work and preserving the quality of the environment. I have been at the National Fund for Israel for nine years and I deal with all the fields and aspects related to the planning of forests, from the level of the single table in the forest, to the level of the overall plans of the forests. I am responsible for the entire field of bicycles in my area - for paths and accessibility for people with disabilities. We are sitting here on a specific wooden table that was chosen for reasons that were put a lot of thought into: so that it would fit the environment, that it would be convenient to repair it after people broke it or set it on fire, Or simply replace it, after people have decided to pick it up and take it home. The forests that I am responsible for in terms of planning are the forests in the center of the country, everything that is between Hadera and Gedera, which is known to be the densest area in Israel in terms of population. This leads to the fact that the struggle is very intense,
Because there are large crowds, certainly in the summer months for example or on holidays.
We have 650 picnic parking lots, which means that we operate at the planning level with a very high intensity and have to provide a response to a large number of people."
Noa: "When KKL was founded there were only 14 thousand dunams of forested areas.
Today we have increased this number to 1.55 million dunams, and the total forested areas in Israel are 2 million dunams", Photo: Naama Stern
No balloons and fireworks please
Neely, in charge of the South District, which is associated with balloon fires and arson of various kinds, and with the Negev being so problematic in terms of governance, which of course also harms nature, explains with a smile: "I am 41 years old from Shemar David, married with three children. I studied landscape architecture at Bezalel and I am at the Foundation which existed for many years, in the middle I left for two years for Nativ Israel and returned to KKL-Junk.
I'm an architect, the largest area with us actually reaches as far as Eilat.
How many of you know there is a forest there too?
How did you get to that?
"I really debated between building and landscape architecture, and then I realized that I was more interested in working outdoors. It's from such a combination between ecology and leisure and recreation. I really have the ability to influence people's lives, and that's not something that everyone gets. I always thought I'd be an architect of buildings, but The more I was exposed to the second option, the more I was drawn to it.
"Working in the forest is much more challenging than the issues I dealt with in the municipal field. When you are outside, you realize how limitless the possibilities are. There is a very delicate balance between things in the forest and in the open areas, and this is, in my view, the most difficult and complex projects in the field.
What are your biggest challenges?
"In my area, terrorism and crime are without a doubt. Our area stretches from Ashdod to Eilat. We are dealing with two things that are not easy at all, which in fact the whole country is dealing with, but we need to find a solution on the ground. There were whole months that we could not approach these areas, because they were closed , until three years ago forests were burned with incendiary balloons. On the other hand, we are also dealing with all the problems of the Bedouin diaspora, there is a lot of crime there and conduct that destroys the open spaces."
Neely: "The best thing that happened to Israeli nature - this is the corona virus. We have to agree on that. The Israelis started traveling everywhere and in every way, and unfortunately also in a way that harms nature. People get on ATVs and tell us 'but I'm in nature' when they destroy nature", photo : Naama Stern
In the north: streams and bodies of water
39-year-old Ofari from Haifa, who manages Merhav North, claims that it is precisely her area where the hidden is more visible than the visible, and Israelis tend to go to their regular places, instead of discovering other places such as the Biriya forest, which is not considered attractive for the Israeli traveler despite the changes that have been made to it.
What makes your area unique?
"It has large, green spaces, which are a green lung on a national level. On the one hand, Israelis love the north and like to vacation there, and on the other hand, the settlements are growing - which raises various challenges in regards to preserving nature. The density in the north is constantly increasing. In addition, we have many streams and bodies in the north Water, which is also a planning challenge for us."
Have you had many fires?
"There is no doubt that one of our biggest characteristics in recent years is that there are also quite a few fires in our area. As soon as there is a fire in the forest, we already understand that we are facing a long rehabilitation plan and we have to take into account that these are vacation areas, so there are other victims besides nature itself."
Naa Tal, director of the planning department at KKL-Junk, is the talker of the group, the one who insists that the struggle here is not only of an independent private entity but the interest of an entire country. But first, as mentioned, it is important that she present her personal vision to us.
She is 40 years old from Kibbutz Zora in Emek, married with three children: "I studied a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture at the Technion and also did a master's degree. I always wanted to work in landscape architecture. I debated between that and medicine - but after a mission in South Africa I decided to go into landscape architecture. It is my life's mission and I have always seen this aspect of my work as a mission. I started working at KKL-Junk in 2016, my position is a position that did not exist and it was part of the change of the entire administrative body, this only shows how much this branch of landscape architecture is still at a disadvantage in Israeli society , and all the management and departments are constantly changing because we need people."
What is the new concept?
"Everyone takes the forest for granted. And this taken for granted is in danger. The number of threats to the forests is enormous and formidable. We protect the forest areas in Israel with our bodies and with all our strength. In fact, you can say that we are the voice of the forest and of the people who use it. Today, forests are a resource that is lacking compared to The size of the population we have. The biggest challenge of the forest planner is to plan the system of balances between the needs of the environment and the importance of the forest, and the need that hair provides a response to, such as leisure and recreation. This requires a lot of sensitivities and an understanding of processes. In Israel, this is very clear. These are questions Practicality that you can see in the eyes. Should we put a playground for children and should we take care of picnic tables? In the end, this is significant and very characteristic of Israeliness, and we don't always put playgrounds, because the forest itself is the playground, so what is it for? The children want it to stay that way and they can transform the forest to a playground."
The forest as a place to be alone
OK, so we understood what landscape architecture is, and we also understood that hair is something that in young Israel, no one actually thought that it was necessary to plan and invest in it and pay attention to dangers that did not exist.
For example, balloons flying from Gaza or fires as a result of arson.
And yes, the Israelis also discovered the forest as a place to be alone, as a place for popular sports.
Israel is an empire of bicycle tours, which of course also changes the way forests are planned in recent years in Israel.
Want more change?
People with disabilities used to be excluded from the forest, no one thought at all that the forests should be made accessible for them.
This is also a changed process.
The thing is, as mentioned, not everyone is sure that they must have a forest and it is possible to leave open areas as well.
You read the reviews that actually in forest planning you take open areas, you increase the chance of fires and in fact there are those who accuse you of fixation.
Noa: "The issue of planting is a political struggle between the Society for the Protection of Nature and the National Fund for Israel and other entities. We are a young country and we learn from processes. We can accept the criticism of planting, but saying that we will stop planting is not serious. After all, the state looks down from above and in the end it is that determines. We are ready to change, but someone has to take responsibility and outline the policy. Right now we are all learning, from the country of course but also from the world and are open to criticism."
Bella: "There were days in Corona when we were so occupied that it was impossible to move in my area. It taught us a lot about the importance of the forest, because we realized that maybe in Corona the number of people who arrived was one-time because the sky was closed, but at the end of 2040 this is the number of people That you live here and regularly visit the forests. The question is what are we doing to preserve these forests so that they can accommodate this amount of people. In fact, through the forest we learned other things."
How would you characterize the Israeli traveler?
Ofri: "Israelis like to travel, but when it comes to preserving nature, they are far behind compared to other places in the world, which is a shame.
For example, we always return to the matter of picking wild flowers.
It's a campaign that was successful and to this day we see its effects, today our advocacy and especially our education is lacking.
It is not a matter of one body, but of several bodies at the same time and also our responsibility, but there is not enough education and information on this issue.'
Noa: "I constantly remind my children not to pick wild flowers for example. When I was a child they talked about this. You have to remember that in the nineties only a few people paid attention to everything related to the environment and the climate. And today we understand that every year the world loses an area of forest the size of Iceland. Israel is in a situation Such that she cannot afford to give up any area of forest and open spaces."
But we are becoming a crowded country, and we need space for people to live as well as for transportation. This struggle also has another side and it is also related to our quality of life.
Ofri: "We are constantly in this struggle, and we see how the border of the settlements is being pushed further towards the forest, and roads and infrastructure are being built. This is obvious. But a forest is a complete ecosystem with a life of its own: maintaining a balanced temperature, preventing soil erosion, maintaining Biological diversity. In addition, we see the struggle for shade in the urban area, we live in Haifa with the ups and downs we do in the sun and there is a big struggle around this issue. Despite the fact that planting trees in the city and providing shade is an expensive matter, it has important aspects on the economic, biological and other levels . But when we see all the TMA projects throughout the city, we can definitely say that not every developer takes this into account."
From a personal point of view, I can tell you that the corona has really done tremendous public relations for Israeli tourism. Suddenly we discovered that we don't have to go all the way to Tuscany. On the other hand, there are populations in Israeli society who do not think like this and destroy nature, perhaps as an expression of the fact that they do not identify with what KKL defines as Zionism.
Neely: "The best thing that happened to Israeli nature - this is the corona virus. We have to agree on that. The Israelis started traveling everywhere and in every way and unfortunately also in a way that harms nature. People get on ATVs and tell us 'but I'm in nature' when they destroy nature. In addition the education system I realized how important it is and how much it changes the atmosphere in kindergartens and schools, that suddenly lessons can be done outside. There is a huge demand for this in all schools in the southern region, but not only. This is the future of education in Israel."
Can someone explain for a moment what 'forest showers' are anyway.
Noa: "It's a movement or trend that came from Japan and is catching on all over the world. What's happening is that people actually go deep into the forest to perform a methodical action. They do light exercise there, spend their time in the middle of the forest and believe in the healing powers of this thing."
Bella: "It is true to say that Israelis discovered the forests. Families, children, teenagers, nature parties, forest showers, picnics and more, it has become a gathering place for Israelis and not only on holidays or summer holidays, but all year round."
Noa: "That's why our war as landscape architecture of KKL-Junk is for every dunam.
Most of the public is not aware of it."
So what is the future of landscape architecture
?
Neely: "First of all, we are calling on male and female students from here to study landscape architecture, there is a shortage and we would be happy to see more people in the field. Although the salary is not much, the satisfaction in this job when you see the things you have created in the field, is something that is not found in other jobs."
Noa: "When KKL was founded there were only 14 thousand dunams of forested areas in the area that eventually became the State of Israel.
Since then, the organization has increased this number to 1.55 million dunams, and the total forested areas in Israel are two million dunams.
The strategic planning of this issue cannot fall on one body, but must work in collaboration with several bodies together, otherwise we will not be able to bring about the desired change when the goal is to legally protect the open spaces.
We will continue to fight this battle.
But we have to go at it together, and not everyone pulls in a different direction."
shishabat@israelhayom.co.il
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