Just pruning, not cutting down, says Nahariya of missing trees - Haaretz

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Sun., September 16, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 08:29 (EST+7)

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Just pruning, not cutting down, says Nahariya of missing trees

By Jack Khoury

It's just pruning, says the city while Nahariya residents fume. One of them, Israel Sagi, calls it vandalism and a crime against flora and fauna, sponsored by the city.

Visitors to Nahariya can't fail to notice a massive municipal drive to cut down trees throughout the coastal city, including decorative ones and even eucalypti planted by the city founders more than 70 years ago.

Residents and environmental activists say they're infuriated at the -impotence of the authorities, mainly the Jewish National Fund and Agriculture Ministry, to enforce the law.

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The city insists it's complying with the law and is just ?pruning, not cutting down' the trees.

Nahariya residents, including members of the Association For Quality Of Life And Environment In Nahariya (AQLEN, as it styles itself) complained to the police last week, saying the mayor and city were cutting down protected trees.

"Elsewhere in the world they fight desertification because of global warming," says AQLEN leader Orit Reich. "In Nahariya, desertification is promoted voluntarily. There's no reason for extreme pruning at the height of summer, when the trees don't have enough water to renew themselves, and there is no shade for pedestrians."

The police say the complaint will be handled, but admit they have limited means. The Jewish National Fund?s Arieh Eshet, director of its Western Galilee-Carmel branch, says the organization's inspectors are acting according to a 1926 law that does not confer enough power: "We feel our hands are tied on this matter, mainly against the authorities." The city has asked the JNF in recent years for permission to cut down or move trees, but its last logging action was done without permission. Eshet says he tried to contact Mayor Jackie Sabag on the matter, but received no reply."

The Agriculture Ministry says it isn't familiar with the issue and that it will ask the JNF to look into it. The JNF commented that it's promoting the Forest and Tree Protection act, which will replace that old law.

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