Large sections of southern Israel’s forests are turning gray as prolonged drought and steep rainfall declines drive unprecedented tree mortality that is according to Ynetnews, one of Israel’s largest and most influential media groups, which said the shift has prompted urgent assessments from foresters and growing alarm among local communities.
For residents like Eli Shashua, a licensed tour guide from the community of Sansana, the change has been impossible to ignore. “The trees are starting to die,” he said after recent walks through the Sansana Forest in the Yatir region.
“When you step outside the community and look out, you see that most of the tree cover is simply gray,” he said. At this time of year, the forest would usually be green and preparing for the bloom of anemones and irises.
Instead, Shashua said he is seeing dead trees, felled trunks and clearings where dense stands once grew. “Quietly, these forests are disappearing — and it’s as if no one is bothered.”
According to Dr Shili Dor‑Haim, head of the Forest Management and Information Department at the Jewish National Fund, the observations are accurate. Forests across the south are in measurable decline after years of drought and a dramatic drop in rainfall.
In 2025, just 50% to 67% of the average annual rainfall fell, severely stressing conifer species. “The phenomenon has led to widespread damage to forests, with unprecedented tree mortality rates,” Dor‑Haim said.
Damage varies across the region. Sansana Forest has suffered a moderate decline, but Carmim Forest — dominated by Jerusalem pine — has experienced extensive die‑off.
Similar patterns are emerging in the Shikma, Meitar, Lachish, Yatir, Dudaim, and Gerar forests. A preliminary remote‑sensing survey covering 100,000 dunams from the Be’eri region to Yatir Forest found more than 50% mortality among conifers, particularly cypress trees.
JNF has begun mapping affected areas and preparing rehabilitation plans in line with updated climate‑adaptation guidelines. Officials say the new approach reflects Israel’s shifting environmental reality of rising temperatures, declining rainfall intensity, and longer dry seasons.
In many southern regions, annual rainfall has dropped below 150 millimetres, far below the historical average of 250 millimetres. The updated policy calls for adapting forest management to climate risk, selecting species suited to arid conditions, and encouraging natural regeneration.
Environmental groups have long warned that large‑scale afforestation in the Negev carries ecological risks. Some studies suggest that planting forests in bright, reflective desert landscapes can increase local warming and that climate‑mitigation benefits take decades to materialise.
Researchers also note that some forests were established in areas with challenging ecological conditions. In several regions, plantings have altered local land‑use patterns and created friction with nearby communities.
Dor‑Haim said the current die‑off reflects the cumulative impact of years of water stress. At Shaked Patrol Park, a major research site for desertification prevention, shrubs have collapsed after repeated drought cycles.
“Many years of drought cause plants to become extremely vulnerable due to water shortages and temperature stress,” she said. “Eventually, they reach a point of no return and collapse and die.”
