MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2010


KLMNO


EZ RE


The World Forest fire fuels review of Israel’s tree-planting traditions


Devastation has experts reassessing practice of greening the hills


BY JOEL GREENBERG


beit oren, israel — Among the charred trees and layers of ash in Israel’s scorched Carmel National Park, a stone marker near a blackened stand of pines honors American Jewish donors who gave money to plant the trees. A radio advertisement before


the hourly news exhorts Israelis to donate to restore the burned forest, urging them to “bring the green back to the Carmel!” This month’s forest fire in


northern Israel, which destroyed nearly 8,000 acres of woodlands in the Mount Carmel range, burned homes and killed more than 40 people, was the biggest conflagration in the country’s 62-year history. But the flames also struck at a central Zionist ethos that has been part of Israeli lore since the days of its early pioneers: greening the bare hills by planting thousands upon thousands of pine trees. In the wind-whipped fire, the


flammable pines, both native and planted, fueled the flames that raced across the wooded ridge, consuming a bus full of prison guards on theirway to evacuate a jail, ravaging homes in adjacent communities and laying waste to nearly a third of a precious natu- ral preserve. The devastation has raised


questions about the place and management of forests in a drought-plagued Middle Eastern country in an age of globalwarm- ing. And it has forced a reassess- ment of traditional tree-planting efforts long seen by Israelis and Jewish contributors abroad as part of a national mission to “make the wasteland bloom.” “The fire was a catalyst, a


trigger for rethinking which was already going on but needed a push,” said Israel Tauber, director of forestmanagement at the Jew- ish National Fund, a land-devel- opment agency that acts as Isra- el’s forest service. “It’s no longer an instinct that wherever the forest is burned, we rush out and plant.”


URIEL SINAI/GETTY IMAGES


Aplane sprays fire-extinguishingmaterial on Dec. 5 to combat the country’s worst-ever forest blaze, which destroyed nearly 8,000 acres. In Israel’s early days, the coun-


try’s founders, who came from forested Europe, set a goal of covering the bare, rocky hills of their new homeland with trees, replacing natural woods and scrub that had been cut down for centuries for fuel and construc- tion. “They sawit as a declaration of


ownership, a change of landscape that makes the country more similar to Eastern Europe, and they thought that the timber had economic potential — a naive Zionist dream,” said Avi Perevo- lotsky, an ecologist and forest expert at the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture’s research center. Inadequate rain and soil con-


ditions prevented the production of commercial-grade timber. The pines, chosen for their ability to grow rapidly and survive in a dry and sunny climate, did indeed spread over the hills, dramatical- ly altering the landscape. But


since they were densely planted and all of the same age and type, they were susceptible to the spread of disease, which killed numerous trees in subsequent decades. The Jewish National Fund


shifted its forestry policy in the 1990s, thinning out the pines to allow for growth under the trees, including native species such as oak and pistacia,whichwere also planted to produce amixed, less- vulnerable forest. But the traditional ethos of


tree planting persisted. Jewish National Fund forests, some planted over the ruins of Pales- tinian villages emptied during Israel’s war of independence, be- came popular picnic and recre- ation areas, providing shade and greenery in a sun-baked land. In an annual ritual on Tu Bishvat, the Jewish Arbor Day, Israeli schoolchildren trooped out to plant trees in the hills. Their


01/04/2011


12/27/2010 THRU


JackDaniel's Black


$3366 1.75L $2529 1.75L


Grey Goose Vodka $


2699 750ml Bacardi


Gld, Lt or Select $


1866 1.75L


Jose Cuervo Gold


1.75L $3299 750ml


Taittinger Brut


$2799


Beefeater Gin


Sale!


Cordials Kahlua


Cointreau Bailey’s


Di Saronno Amaretto Drambuie Liq Grand Marnier Patron XO


M & R Asti


Alma Negra Sparkling Rose/Malbec Barefoot (All Varietals)


Dom Chandon Pinot Meunier Dom Chandon Riche Dom Perignon


Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Dom Carneros Brut


1.75L 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml


Champagne & Sparkling Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut


Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel Chandon NV Brut, Bl De Noir or Rose Coppola Sophia Bl/Bl


1.5L 1.5L


750ml


750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml


Gloria Ferrer Blanc De Noirs or Brut Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rose Korbel (Asst Varietals) Korbel Natural


Moet Chandon Imperial Rose Moet Chandon Nectar Imperial


Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut or Ex Dry 750ml $8.99 Freixenet Spumante


Freixenet Carta Nev Semi Seco or Brut Enrico Cuvee Rose or Prosecco 750ml


Martini & Rossi Asti or Sparkling Rose Martini & Rossi Prosecco Moet Chandon Imperial


Mumm’s Cordon Rouge Brut Mumm’s NV Brut Rose Perrier Jouet Grand Brut Piper Heidsieck Brut Piper Heidsieck Ex Dry


Moet Chandon Nectar Imperial Rose Mumm’s Brut Prestige


Segura Viudas Res Heredad Saint Hilaire French Sparkling Voga Sparkling Pinot Grigio


Piper Sonoma Brut or Bl De Bl Ruinart Rose


750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml 750ml


750ml $8.49 $10.49 $11.99 $11.99 $13.49 $34.99 $41.99 $37.49 $46.99 $15.99 $32.99 $15.99 $35.49 $38.99 $35.99 $12.99 $53.99 $16.99


750ml $6.99 $13.99


750ml $9.49 $11.49


750ml


and SPIRITS ON SALE SeeStoresfor Additional Weekly Sales Subject to stock on hand. All items subject to prior sales. Some product not available at all locations. Not responsible for typographical errors.


HUNDREDS of WINES INCLUDES SINGLE VISION RX LENSES,


SUNGLASS TINT and 30 DAY COMFORT ZONE WARRANTY CHOOSE FROM SELECT FRAMES, REGULAR $59 -$79 EACH


Must present coupon at time of purchase. Applies to CR-39 lenses. Offer valid on complete pair purchase. Valid thru 12.31.10. Not valid on ready made sunglasses. May not be combined with other discounts, coupons, vision insurance plans or prior orders.


For store hours & locations please visit our web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dlc


$31.99 $17.99 $29.99 $18.99 $24.99 $28.99 $23.99


750ml $8.29 750ml $7.49 $14.59 $13.49 $38.99 $19.49 $19.99 $13.59


$16.49 $21.49 $14.99


start your new year lookin’ good


750ml $8.99 750ml $6.99


$128.99


counterparts in Jewish schools in the United States, and their par- ents, donated money to plant a tree in Israel, and Jewish visitors to the country were taken to tree-planting centers to put a sapling in the earth with their own hands. This month’s fire delivered a


jolt, confronting Israeli foresters with the challenge of managing the rehabilitation of the Carmel inaway thatwill prevent another large-scale blaze. Long-ignored recommendations by experts to create firebreaks, thin out the forests, and use animal grazing to prevent the buildup of shrubs that fuel fires, are now getting renewed attention. And the cherished value of


planting more trees is also com- ing into question. On the floor of the Carmel forest, millions of seeds released by pine cones dur- ing the fire have settled into the earth and ash, and some fresh


“It’s no longer an instinct that whenever the forest is burned, we rush out and plant.”


—Israel Tauber, director of forest management at the Jewish National Fund


grass and flowers have already appeared after a first burst of winter rains. Perevolotsky, who serves on a


government-appointed commit- tee on rehabilitating the Carmel, says there is general agreement that the forest should be allowed to regenerate naturally, a process that will take decades. “There’s an absolute consen-


sus that nothing needs to be done” now, he said, adding that the pine seeds would naturally produce an abundance of new seedlings. “In another few years we will have to thin out, not plant, and take measures to pre- vent the next fires.” Tauber, who is helping write


Israel’s first forestry guidelines, said that “after the firewe under- stood that the first thing to do is let nature take its course. You don’t have to plant.” Next month, during the tree holiday of Tu Bishvat, there may


be ceremonial plantings on the Carmel by Israeli leaders, but these will be symbolic, Tauber said. Yagil Osem, a forest ecologist


who is also serving on an expert committee, said that the focus now would be on sustainable management of the forest in way that would enable it to regener- ate with a variety of trees and survive in Israel’s dry climate — and under heavy public use. The burned areaswill serve as a living lab. “We’re starting to put into


practice forest management based on natural processes,” Osem said. “Planting was always the symbol and will always be an element, but its part in the story is getting smaller.”


Greenberg is a special correspondent.


A9


FLEX TIME! ONLY 5 MORE DAYS


Stretch your insurance savings at For Eyes. Whether you are looking to splurge on designer frames or getting your whole family eyeglasses with our everyday offers.


20 GREATER WASHINGTON DC AREA LOCATIONS


Gstreet L street annapolis aspen hill baltimore bethesda frederick gaithersburg glen burnie greenbelt rockville silver spring timonium


waldorf alexandria fairfax falls church fredericksburg springfield sterling VISIT FOREYES.COM OR CALL 800.FOR.EYES


COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMS AVAILABLE by INDEPENDENT DOCTORS of OPTOMETRY


BUY ANY COMPLETE PAIR FOR $99 OR MORE AND GET A SPARE PAIR FOR 50% OFF. GREAT FOR DRIVING, READING OR FOR JUST IN CASE.


May not be combined with other discounts, coupons, vision insurance plans or prior orders. Valid on complete pair of equal or lesser value thru 12.31.10. See store for details.


TAKE 20% OFF ANNUAL SUPPLY OF ACUVUE BRAND CONTACT LENSES STOCK UPANDSAVE!


Must present coupon at time of purchase. May not be combined with other discounts, coupons, vision insurance plans or prior orders. Additional savings after Mfgs. rebate. Rebate differs between products, see store for details. Valid thru 12.31.10. See store for details.


THE ORIGINAL, REAL DEAL


NOW


OPEN ON SUNDAYS


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50