by Claire Adler, Special JNF Correspondent

Once known for its arid deserts, Israel is unbelievably the only country on earth that can boast more forested land at the end of the 20th century than at the beginning of the century.
A staggering statistic. Because despite everything - war, terror, and severe water shortages - Israel's eco-system continues to flourish, due to the planting of over 220 million trees by Jewish National Fund. Indeed, Israeli foresters have been "growing trees where it's impossible," according to Lawrence Amicarella, Emeritus Director of Fire & Aviation Management at the United States Forest Service (USFS), with whom the JNF is working in partnership.

For the JNF, what began originally as a mission to fulfill the Biblical commandment to acquire and beautify the land, has emerged in the 21st century as a nexus of lush, green spaces - a symbol of hope for the future - the very life-force of the Promised Land and the ultimate manifestation of its fertility.

Over a century ago, launching a global fundraising campaign with its famed blue and white boxes, the JNF undertook a mammoth project. Jews the world over were asked to pledge their financial support towards the task of reclaiming - literally "buying back" - the land that the pioneers were settling to hold in trust for the eventual return to the Jewish homeland. Since 1948, JNF has been instrumental in preserving and developing that land on behalf of its owners - Jewish people everywhere. While that challenging task continues, Israel's forests are today the focus of an imaginative gamut of educational and cultural opportunities, which are literally sowing the seeds for the future of the Jews of Israel and around the world.

Now more than ever in a country psychologically traumatized by war, the people of Israel are turning to the refuge and the inspiration of the forests. Nearly a million people defied the threat of violence and showed up en masse in the forests to mark Israel's 54th birthday with traditional barbecues in April.

Israel's verdant forests are now serving as important places of escape and respite. The clean air and breathtaking natural surroundings are a haven for relaxation and a sense of well-being, so desperately needed at this time. And this is not the first time the Jewish people are discovering the therapeutic quality of Israel's natural beauty. King David, too, when running from those who sought to kill him, found comfort and safety in the green pastures and still waters of the forest.

Several thousand years later, Jews are witnessing the evolution of the Zionist dream. Jewish people are still being persecuted, but today the land is a source of comfort to them. Since September 2000, while the State of Israel has been besieged by the burden of security fears, several thousand Israeli students from areas of increased tension, have flocked to the forests to enjoy environmental activities through a joint initiative between JNF and the Israeli Ministry of Education. Vacationers, Israelis and internationals alike, have reconnected with their passion for the land by partaking in inspirational moonlit walks along Israel's forest trails.

The forests once defined the land acquired by JNF, but today they serve a different purpose altogether. They are girding our nation with moral and spiritual strength. They are blossoming physically and they are brimming with Jewish life.

A unique and exemplary partnership between JNF and the USFS has enabled Israel to mature into a breathtaking landscape of possibility for the people of Israel. After the horrific devastation of the late 1980s forest fires, the two organizations began pooling expertise and resources in an effort to open up the forests as places of recreation and pleasure.

According to Dale Bosworth, chief of the USFS: "The world-class professionalism and determination of JNF foresters is second to none. Together we are scaling new heights in our objective to bring the people of Israel into the forest environment, through the employment of new technologies and the sophistication of the Israeli's cultural and educational programming."

In fact, in a unique relationship with the USFS, Israeli foresters come to the United States each summer to take forestry courses in watershed management, natural resources administration and protected areas management - that better prepare them to meet the needs created by JNF forests planted in Israel. This year the courses are taking place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Missoula, Montana and Madison, Wisconsin.

Israel's beautiful forests are now at the center of initiatives, which aim to cultivate Jewish identity in young people and adults from around the world. Every summer thousands of international Jewish students make their journey to the forests for Zionist and Jewish educational retreats, sleeping in newly designed log cabins for an unforgettable Israel Experience. And when the summer passes, these Field and Forest Centers, with their unique outdoor study zones, play host to organized family trips and recreational vacations for the elderly including activities such as archaeological digs, desert planting, nature photography, olive-picking and arts and craft days, often linked to the Jewish calendar.

Biblical dramas are re-enacted with professional actors at the sites at which they took place thousands of years ago, giving new meaning to the concept of outdoor theatre. At the very cutting edge of research, JNF is now working to regenerate biblical species of trees in forests like Sataf, in Jerusalem bringing the forests alive to capture our imagination in unprecedented ways. Only 60 years ago, this kind of experiential learning for us and for our children was simply unimaginable.
Israel's forests are paving the way in opportunities for the disabled and a unique nature trail in the Israel Defense Force Veteran's Park, is tribute to this fact. Its one-mile path of luxurious groves allows two wheelchairs to pass freely.

This path contains aromatic shrubs and recorded explanations for the blind, large signs for the partially sighted, and includes artistic sculptures, a cave and a wine-press. And in this way, the entire community is embraced, the able and the less able, are welcome to stake their claim on a land which is rightfully theirs.                   
                                       
The forests are more alive than ever in Israel's history. The dream that once was Zionism is not lost. Despite what the world says, our land is flourishing. And so are its people. By planting trees, life is created. The land is safeguarded for the next generation of children. And Jewish life is secured. The forests have never been more of an inspiration than today.