Burnt Israel forest faces long recovery – experts

Scorched and blackened areas of Israel’s Mount Carmel forest, razed by the flames of the country’s worst-ever fire, will take decades to return to their once-lush glory, experts say.

The blaze, which began on December 2 and raged for four days, consumed at least 4,800 hectares of forest in an area sometimes dubbed “little Switzerland,” destroying an estimated five million trees.

The Jewish National Fund, a state-supported Zionist organisation which manages much of Israel’s land, has encouraged Israelis to join efforts to replant the area during a tree festival in January.

JNF chairman Efi Stenzler said the day-long Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat - the “New Year of the Trees” when people traditionally go planting – would be extended for a full week and dedicated to “regreening” the Carmel.

But experts say most of the hard work regenerating the forest will happen naturally, although it is likely to take decades.

“The process of forest rehabilitation, the initial forest rehabilitation, is going to take five to 10 years,” said Omri Bonneh, chief forester for the Haifa region of the Jewish National Fund.

“But of course, most of the trees that were burnt were 50 to 100 years old, and we will have to wait decades to see the forest we love once again.”