The Forest Commissioner is appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to execute the aims of the Forest Ordinance and the Protected Trees Order. The Forest Commissioner oversees the handling and management of forests which carried out by the Jewish National Fund on behalf of the government. The Forest Commissioner is charged with approving forest work schemes and the oversight of the implementation thereof. The Forest Commissioner oversees, directs and manages the tree conservation enterprise throughout the country, within and outside forests.

The Forest Commisioner’s Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development carries out an exceptionally large range of activities to protect the trees of Israel. The unit is approached by members of the public who are concerned about the fate of the trees in their neighborhood, which are set to be trimmed or felled. The forest commissioner examines if it is being done with the required permits and if not, he acts to stop the activity and protect the trees.

Under this title you will find everything you can do to protect the trees around you: the Forest Ordinance, the address for public inquiries, the contact persons appointed to care for trees etc.

In recent years, mature trees have begun occupying a place of honor among planning bodies and their institutions. Trees have become one of the factors to be examined when gathering background data for planning, and in this way their status has been greatly improved in relation to their previous position. What has changed with the approval of Amendment 89 to the law is how much existing mature trees need to be taken into consideration among the range of planning considerations, and that previous to the amendment they were considered of lesser importance.

From north to south, from east to west, our country is full of incredibly beautiful trees and their unique biographies. Take a backpack and a camera and go hike among the trees of our land, with stories scattered with the values of environment and nature, history and geography, and love of the land. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development offers a variety of trips and stories of trees, listed according to region. All that remains is just to choose which direction you want to travel in, and go.

Here is a large selection of information about trees – facts, a range of articles etc.

Which trees are around us? How are they cared for? How can we cope with forest fires? What do we gain from having trees in our environment? How do they affect the quality of the air we breathe and the value of our homes?

The information in the Trips on the Trail of Trees booklet, was gathered over the course of more than 20 years by the Department for Flowers, Horticultural Engineering, Gardening and Landscape in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and by volunteers, as part of a survey on mature trees.