Young Future Foresters

Israel’s future foresters are being nurtured in the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, in a program KKL-JNF has been guiding in recent years. The award ceremony for the Ronald Appleby grants for Foresters of the Future, which also featured presentations of research studies in the field of afforestation, was attended by KKL-JNF representatives, Hebrew University research scientists and students of the Faculty.

David Brand, KKL-JNF Chief Forester, opened the ceremony by congratulating the scholarship recipients, and said that KKL-JNF and the Faculty of Agriculture have been working together for many years. The collaboration includes assistance for research, student employment for practical experience, hiring foresters when they finish their studies, and awarding the scholarships contributed by the Appleby family of Toronto, Canada, who are good friends of KKL-JNF.

KKL-JNF Deputy CEO, Yosef Eyal, said that it was an auspicious event not only for the grant recipients and the Faculty personnel, but also for KKL-JNF, as an organization that manages vast expanses of forested areas, natural woodland and open spaces. “This is where our future professionals are being produced,” said Eyal, “and the real test is how we will take this knowledge and use it.”

Everyone present was pleased to hear that KKL-JNF is planning to hire two new foresters per year, who have completed their masters degrees, with the aspiration to further expand the quota and increase it to five foresters. There was more good news: while the present scholarships are only available for undergraduate and graduate studies, the plan for the future is to extend this to doctoral studies. “KKL-JNF is at the core of this knowledge, and we must rely on the most capable people in the field,” concluded Eyal.