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Israeli Oaks: a Contemporary Portal to Ancient Knowledge
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Amit Raphael Zoran
Published May 2023 in International Oaks No. 34: 99–104
Abstract
In the center of the Israeli forest are oaks. With their impressive height and thick branches, they raise a wide dome above the forest floor that produces protection from heat and drought, providing food, protection, and desirable living conditions for animals, plants, fungi, and humans. For ages and ages, oaks have been key elements of the local ecosystem and the most important trees in local mythologies. Yet, Israeli oaks have suffered from overcutting and overgrazing, and the local landscape has become increasingly arid throughout history. This process has undergone recent change as cutting has been stopped in some areas and grazing minimized.
I believe we must internalize that oaks carry the knowledge of harmonizing life and ecosystems. The present age requires us to listen to the trees and understand that their resilience is our resilience. In this paper I discuss the Israeli oaks and their place in our interactions with the environment to offer a holistic perspective on our relationship with nature.
Keywords
Quercus, Lithocarpus, Castanopsis, endangered species, buttresses
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