The Carmel – A Rebirth of a Forest

The story of Mt. Carmel is the story of forests and woodlands throughout our region that go through cycles of wildfires that are an integral part of the forest’s life. Over the years forestry programs have been formulated and implemented, forests have been managed and as we progress we learn from our experience and adapt to the changes. KKL-JNF plans, plants and opens its forests to the public, constantly monitoring and looking out for disease and other problems, restoring and repairing where necessary. The management cycle is never-ending and we are constantly improving our forestry methods to create better habitats for the plants and animals that are an integral part of our forests.

Credit for these photos goes to the KKL-JNF Photo Archive, Jerusalem.

1919.Yosef Weitz's summary of Carmel visit; KKL Photographer

Translation of Notes by Yosef Weitz on his visit of the Carmel, 26 of Sivan, 5679; June 24, 1919
Visit on the Carmel

1. The planting of stone pines by the worker's group was largely successful in all three of the plots and on the border. Only here and there, between the rocks, are trees lacking. The land is tilled and clean and twice hoed and weeded after sowing. Plowing was done by a cultivator, only.
a. Note: Cultivating the land on the Carmel after sowing deserves attention in afforestation on the mountains.
The diverse trees, attached herewith, show their beautiful root development; also between the rocks.

2. The plantings by the German are not nice. The trees are sparse. More than half are missing. But the earth that has been cultivated is also nice.

1934. Carmel; Zoltan Kluger

1934. Mount Carmel; Photo Levi

1936. Forestry; Rudi (Shimon) Weissenstein

1945. Foresters Conference on the Carmel; KKL Photographer

1945. People of the Carmel Forest; KKL Photographer

1961. Mount Carmel, 50 millionth tree planting ceremony; Moshe Schwiki

1961. Mount Carmel, 50 millionth tree, planting ceremony, Moshe Schwiki

1963. Youth Movements on the Carmel; David Hirshfeld

1963. Youth Movements; David Hirshfeld

1964. Carmel forestation; Yehuda Hanegbi

1964. Mount Carmel terracing; Yehuda Hanegbi

1964. Picnic on the Carmel, Alex Strajmaister

1964. Picnic on the Carmel, Alexander Siskin

1964. Picnic; Alex Strajmaister

1965. Hiking Youth, Werner Braun

1965. Jamboree Conference; Lotan (2)

1965. Jamboree Conference; Lotan

1966. Wood processing; Ravitzky

1966. Carmel Coast – Ofer Nursery; KKL Photographer

1966. Cattle in the forest, Ravitzky

1966. Forest grazing; Ravitzky

1966. Forestation; Ravitzky

1966. Keren HaCarmel Forest - Preparing land for sowing species of pine; Ravitzky

1966. Loading wood on donkey for making charcoal, part of thinning natural woodland; Ravitzky

1966. Thinning and pruning; Ravitzky

1966. Dismantling boiler and removing charcoal, using wood from trees that have completed developing. Ravitzky

1969. Picnic; Alex Strajmaister

1969. Forest surveying; Israel Sinai

1969. Picnic; Alex Strajmaister

1976. Family picnic; KKL photographer

1976. Signage at Carmel Forest picnic and recreation site

1977. Extinguishing a fire; Daniel Schaffner

1978. Scout Jamboree; KKL photographer

1980. Forest fire; Daniel Schaffner

1981. Forest fire; Daniel Schaffner

1983. Resting at a jamboree; Zvi Reiter

1985. Fire; Daniel Schaffner

1989. After the fire; Haya Schwartz

1989. After the fire; Joe Malcolm

1989. Estinguishing a fire; Haya Schwartz

1989. Fire in the Carmel Forests; Atzmon (2)

1989. Fire in the Carmel Forests; Atzmon

1989. Pruning; Alex Liebeck

1992. Fire truck; Israel Sinai

1995. After a wildfire; Daniel Schaffner

1995. In the wake of a fire; Daniel Schaffner

2007. KKL-JNF Recreation site signage; Ron Trails, Carmel Coast Forest; Yaacov Shkolnik

2007. Ron Trails recreation area, Carmel Coast Forest; Yaacov Shkolnik

2008. Carmel, Nesher Park hanging bridge; Dan Zomer

2008. Cycling & Cleaning Up; Paul Orleiv

2008. Cycling & Cleaning Up; Paul Orleiv

2010. Extingishing the fire; Nir Har

2010. Firefighting; Moran Ma'ayan

2010. In the wake of the fire; Yulia Olshinsky

2010. Wildfire; Nir Har

2010. Wildfire; Nir Har

2011. Bloom after the wildfire

2011. Eastern strawberry tree regeneration; Yulia Olshinsky

2011. Forest volunteers; KKL photographer

2011. Forest volunteers; Michael Huri

2011. Natural regeneration; KKL photographer

2011. Orientation group at work in the forest; Kalil Hadar

2011. Volunteering in the forest; Jinipics

2012. Building terraces, Nir Etzion, Carmel

2013. Sukkot; Avigail Uzi

2013. Sukkot; Avigail Uzi

2013. Foresters' House, Sukkot; Avigail Uzi

2016. General view of the Carmel; Bracha Stein

2016. General view of the Carmel; Bracha Stein

2016. Memorial to the victims of the Carmel wildfire of 2010; Esther Hazan

2016. New plantings, February; Esther Hazan