Forest Management Policy (FMP) of Israel.

This Forest Management Policy is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at introducing the latest developments in forestry, ecology, social and economic sciences to implement changes in current approaches and concepts of the forest management. It represents a basis for managing Israel’s forests in a goal-oriented and sustainable fashion. The primary goal of forestry in Israel is to provide a variety of ecosystem services to its citizens recognizing the importance of the biological diversity. Subsidiary goals related to the aforementioned goal are the following (i) provision of recreational and outdoor activity services; (ii) landscape design and diversification; (iii) provision of supporting and regulatory services (i.e. carbon sequestration, primary productivity); (iv) supporting Israel’s unique biological diversity; (v) provision of soil and water conservation services (preventing soil erosion, increasing water infiltration); (vi) provision of a variety of economic benefits to society (wood products, pasture, tourism); (vii) protection of open landscape; (viii) protection of Israel’s native tree species and reintroduction of native trees to the landscape; (ix) protection and restoration of natural heritage landscapes; (x) ecological restoration of damaged sites and ecosystems; (xi) creation of buffer zones around communities to mitigate the effects of environmental hazards such as noise, air pollution, visual blemishes to the landscape, and to protect against wildfires; (xii) strengthening the public’s identification with the forest and nature, and educating them to protect it.