the first forest farms in Israel were planted by the PICA association (Palestine Jewish Colonization Association) and the Jewish National Fund. Hadera Forest was the first eucalyptus forest planted in Israel, in 1896, by the pioneers of Hadera and funded by Baron Rothschild. The planting took place in areas of the large swamp, previously known as Birkats, under the guidance of A. Cantor from PICA; the forest trees served as an important source of income for the Hebrew pioneers (Weitz, 1970). |