Scientists: Forest Fires Great Haunt Israel In The Future

Two Youth Medium Addressing Israel Fire

Newsmoved: According to scientists, in Jerusalem hill alone, fires in the last week has burned 550 hectares. In fact, until Sunday, November 27 night, firefighters were still struggling to extinguish the fire. Similarly, as quoted from Haaretz, Monday (28/11/2016). Earlier, in 2014, the Mount of Jerusalem was burned terrific.

A group of scientists has warned that Israel will experience more severe forest fires again in the years to come. They reveal it after seeing the fire that recently occurred.

Israel is not the only country threatened by fires due to dry and hot weather. Wildfires are now increasingly worried also haunt the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, and France. Also in the rest of the world such as California and Australia.

Data from Israel called the fire department in forest fires is not increased in recent years, even in the last two years of decline. However, there is a tendency in a few years a fire would occur in the fall that often never taken into account, and the effect is more insidious.

"This is clearly linked to climate change," said Hanoch Tzoref, Director of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) environmental agencies.

"Winter then comes after the fall, and in the months of November and December to be very dry and the wind was strong," he continued.

"The air is constantly dry, strong winds not only drying laundry, but also vegetation and turn them into a combustible material," said Tzoref. Plus, the weather conditions in the days before the fire in Israel enlarged, highly anomalous.

"I have 40 years experience on the Mount of Jerusalem, but never remember there being this weather. Dry weeks. I really do not remember us ever like that," he said.

Meanwhile, Yohay Carmel, professor of the Institute of Technology Israel agree that climate change is making weather anomalies that have never experienced before.

In 2010, no significant rainfall until early December, so that the vegetation has undergone nine months of aridity

"This year, the same as in 2010, and in this situation, you do not need to burn on purpose because anything can trigger a vegetation fire," said Carmel.

Fire this year is also unusual because the wind is more to the east than the west. In the Jerusalem area, which should help slow the fire, but because of the wind from the west it causes far greater damage. Another problem is that the dense pine forests, are common around Jerusalem, is highly flammable.

Therefore, today the institution JNF planted a little pine and prefer to plant other types of trees, and regularly thinned controlled by a young pine plantation.