PhD student Ethan Welty calls himself “the curator of the edible world.” As a co-founder of Falling Fruit, the young scientist has devised a program to map out locations of fruit trees to help users find produce ripe for gleaning. Using Google Maps, visitors to www.fallenfruit.org can pinpoint locations of the nearest edible fruit. Welty said his inspiration for the project came from a summer he spent living off the land. “One summer I foraged for all my fruit and had enough to make jams, …More

A stand of pine trees planted during the Jordanian occupation has been illegally cut down by developers to make room for a new housing complex. The 536 pine trees provided one of the last green areas in an otherwise rocky terrain in the Har Homa neighborhood of Jerusalem. Residents have been locked in a battle with the contractors since they noticed the trees were marked to be cut and decided to take their fight to court to prevent the destruction of the small forest. “I saw that all the trees were marked, …More

In honor of Tu Bishvat, IDF soldiers planted 1,532 trees in the vicinity of Nachal Oz, on the Gazan border in southern Israel. The 1,532 trees signify the 1,532 rockets fired by Hamas terrorists at Israel from Gaza during Operation Pillar of Defense. The event was held in conjunction with the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Titled "A Plant for Each Rocket," some 800 soldiers participated in the event. The commander of the Education Corps, Brigadier General Eli Shermeister, conducted the event, which was also attended …More

In the days following Operation Pillar of Defense, the Jewish National Fund, known as Keren Kayemeth L’Israel in Israel, is working hard to plant trees along the Gaza border. These new plantings, part of JNF’s development program in the Negev, aim to strengthen Israel’s southern region’s natural defenses as well as green the desert region for its residents. JNF Chairperson Efi Stenzler states that the new trees will eventually provide a natural border between Gaza and Israel and reduce …More

Oded Yaffe has dedicated his life to caring for trees. Drawing on a rich Israeli agricultural tradition of tending and strengthening the plants, the so-called tree whisperer believes trees respond to his presence and care. “When I come to a badly ailing tree and examine it for signs of life, I feel that it knows someone has come to take care of it,” Yaffe said recently in an interview. “I feel that its response to my concern enables it to rehabilitate itself.” Yaffe has pioneered more …More

Hundreds of trees are going to be destroyed near Netzer, a settlement area in the West Bank. The trees, which the IDF Civil Administration claims were illegally planted, are scheduled to be cleared sometime after Shavout, which ended this weekend. In an open letter to the Gush Etzion community, where Netzer is located, Chief Rabbi Gideon Perl wrote, “We have recently been informed that the Civil Administration has directed the IDF to uproot all trees that have been planted throughout the last few years in …More

Now is the time of year when my wife and I renew our annual, uncomfortable conversation about why we will never have a Christmas tree in our home, despite her having grown up with one. I’m fairly crummy at explaining my reasoning, but we eventually remind ourselves that all marriages require give-and-take, and this is one time where she’s giving and I’m taking. However, I’ve never felt more like getting a Christmas tree than this past week, thanks to the trend in Jewish media of …More