Israel in the early 1900s planted millions of pine trees to green barren hills, but ecologists later found many native Mediterranean habitats had disappeared beneath them

In thinking about the thick forests that dot the hills around Jerusalem or traversing the rolling green hills of Galilee, we tend to envision the success story of an environmentally conscious effort. This involves dark green trees providing shade over the ground, pine needles covering the soil, and imagining a blossoming landscape brought back from its past neglect. It was the popular belief that planting more forests in open spaces, be they dry or rocky formations, was a gift to the environment and the animals living in them.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!