History of the Keren Kaymeth LeIsrael

At the Sixth Zionist Congress in Basel in 1903, tree planting was initiated through the establishment of a special fund, the Olive Tree Association, for the planting of olive trees on land purchased by the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, the Jewish National Fund in Kfar Hitim, Hulda and Ben Shemen.

The land was subsequently cleared, prepared for settlement and afforested. In 1908, the KKL-JNF planted its first forest, the Herzl Forest in Ben Shemen, which contained 12,000 trees. The year after, a second Herzl Forest was established in Hulda, and in 1927, the Balfour Forest was set up in the Jezreel Valley.
With time, the KKL-JNF has developed into the major force in Israeli afforestation. In the early days, its expertise was extremely limited. But following years of field experience and perseverance, KKL-JNF foresters were able to resolve most of the difficulties encountered.
In 1929, the KKL-JNF began implementing a new undertaking, the planting of areas that were considered unworkable for afforestation - rocky lands, terraced hills, steep inclines and shifting sand dunes. These efforts accelerated rapidly and by 1947, some 5 million trees had been planted in Israel (Palestine). In the 1950s, after formation of the State, more than four million trees were planted in Martyrs Forest in the Judean Mountains, one of the country's largest woodlands. Thousands of recent immigrants were then employed to carry out afforestation projects in various parts of the country. Since then, the goals and breadth of KKL-JNF activities have greatly expanded.
The major interests of KKL-JNF - then and now - span the areas of "land, trees and water." "Land" was purchased for afforestation, infrastructure was laid down for the Wall and Watchtower protective settlements built between 1936 and 1939, and in 1946 11 covert settlement points were established in the Negev. Immigrant workers' villages for forestry personnel were set up after the founding of the State, the Hula swamps in the north were drained and reclaimed for agriculture, farmed fields that had gone into disuse were restored and roads were built. More recently, the KKL-JNF has set up infrastructure for scenic overlooks in the Galilee and built the Pitkhat Shalom Negev settlements to resettle evacuees of Sinai settlements in 1982.
In their work with "trees" and other greenspace projects, the KKL-JNF initiated "Action Plan: Negev" in 1995, which includes planting vegetation that creates a savanna-like landscape in the northern Negev. Other aspects of these activities include the provision of trees for capturing dust and air pollution, for providing shade in Negev army camps, and for landscaping roadways and railways. Park development is carried out within and adjacent to populated areas, and embraces roadside park areas, scenic overlooks, as well as recreation areas.
In the area of "water" resources, dams have been built for collecting floodwaters, reservoirs constructed to store recycled urban wastewater, rivers rehabilitated, and gully-ridden badlands reclaimed. The KKL-JNF is also involved in public relations and educational activities.

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