# KKL-JNF (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund)

> Israel's national afforestation body, managing about 1.5 million dunams of forest planted since 1901

Source: https://treerm.org/org/kkl-jnf · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: National
- Headquarters: Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- Founded: 1901
- Website: https://www.kkl-jnf.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://www.kkl-jnf.org/volunteers/
- Donate: https://www.kkl-jnf.org/kkl-jnf-donation/
- Events calendar: https://www.kkl.org.il/education/travels/kkl-events/
- Countries where they plant: Israel
- Activity types: Afforestation (primary), Tree adoption & giveaways, Nurseries & seedlings, Disaster & fire recovery, Research & monitoring
- Trees on record: 240,000,000 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to acquire and develop land, and since 1953 has been Israel's forestry agency, headquartered in Jerusalem. It manages about 1.5 million dunams (150,000 ha) of forest land, runs three nurseries producing roughly 800,000 to 1 million saplings a year, and reports having planted more than 240 million trees since 1901; in the 2024-25 season it planted about 4,858 dunams (486 ha), mostly forest renewal, while rehabilitating some 32,300 dunams damaged by fire during the 2023-24 war. Its work is contested: forests have been planted over depopulated Palestinian villages and on land claimed by Bedouin in the Naqab/Negev (for example the Ambassadors' Forest at al-Araqib, where planting was carried out under police guard after demolitions in 2010-2011); in 2021 its board voted in principle to buy land in the West Bank, and its subsidiary Himnuta had already acquired West Bank land and pursued evictions in East Jerusalem; and its historic reliance on Aleppo pine monocultures has been criticised for ecological poverty and flammability, a shift reflected in its own data showing 55-65 % of saplings are now native broadleaf species. KKL-JNF is separate from JNF-USA, an American fundraising charity incorporated in 1926.

## Programs

- **Forestry Division (afforestation and forest renewal)** — Afforestation (1953–present): Planting of new forest and renewal of existing stands across about 1.5 million dunams of managed forest, with thinning and fire-break work; reported annually in the Israel Forest Status Report. https://www.kkl-jnf.org/forestry-and-ecology/afforestation-in-israel/
- **Rehabilitation of war-damaged forests** — Disaster & fire recovery (2024–present): Restoration of some 32,300 dunams of forest burned or damaged during the 2023-24 war (91 % in the north, 9 % in the south), including Biriya and Naftali forests and Be'eri and Yad Mordechai forests. https://www.kkl-jnf.org/forestry-and-ecology/rehabilitating-forests/galilee-post-war-renewal/
- **KKL-JNF tree nurseries** — Nurseries & seedlings: Three nurseries (including Eshtaol) producing roughly 800,000 to 1 million saplings a year, about 40 % for forest planting and 60 % for local authorities, IDF bases and schools. https://www.kkl-jnf.org/forestry-and-ecology/tree-plant-nurseries-israel/
- **Plant a Tree with Your Own Hands (planting centers)** — Tree adoption & giveaways: Donors (USD 36 per tree) plant at the Ben Shemen or Golani planting centers or via a Zoom ceremony; at Tu BiShvat KKL-JNF also distributes hundreds of thousands of free saplings to the public. https://kkl-jnf.org/tourism-and-recreation/plant-a-tree-israel/info-planting-centers/

## Metrics

> Note: KKL-JNF reports planting by area (dunams) rather than tree counts; the directory converts at 10 dunams per hectare. The widely quoted cumulative figure of 240 million trees dates from 2010 (Ynetnews quoting JNF); JNF-USA's site says 250 million and Wikipedia also cites 260 million over fifty years, and KKL-JNF has published no reconciled current total. Controversies, documented in sources opened for this entry (Wikipedia 'Jewish National Fund' and 'Al-Araqib', press reports on the 2021 board votes): afforestation over depopulated Palestinian villages after 1948; planting of the Ambassadors' Forest on land claimed by the Bedouin village of al-Araqib under police guard in 2011 (a 2012 Beersheba District Court ruling found the land state-owned); land purchases in the West Bank through the subsidiary Himnuta and a 2021 board vote in principle to fund such purchases, with final approval postponed; the Himnuta eviction case against the Sumarin family in Silwan; and criticism of flammable Aleppo pine monocultures, notably after the 2010 Carmel fire in which a JNF regional director estimated 1.5 million trees burned. JNF-USA (incorporated 1926) is a separate organization and is not covered by these figures.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Survival rate (%) | 2025 | 94 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://marketingsections.kkl-jnf.org/forestry/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/03/Forestry-Facts-and-Figures-updated-2025-designed-.docx) KKL-JNF Forestry Facts and Figures (updated March 2025): 'The assimilation and survival rate of planted forest trees is 94%, according to the national annual average.' Wikipedia cites JNF statistics that only about 4 in 10 saplings planted in Jerusalem survive versus about 95 % elsewhere. |
| Trees planted | 2010 | 240,000,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3836572,00.html) Ynetnews 26 Jan 2010, quoting JNF: 'JNF has planted over 240 million trees in its years of existence'; the same figure appears on Wikipedia and in later press. No more recent official cumulative count was found on kkl.org.il or kkl-jnf.org in Nov 2026. |
| Hectares restored | 2024 | 447 | no (that year) | Forestry Division (afforestation and forest renewal) | Estimated | [source](https://marketingsections.kkl-jnf.org/news/?p=12722) KKL-JNF news release 15 May 2025 on the Israel Forest Status Report 2024: 'thinning about 32,000 dunams, and replanting around 4,465 dunams' in the 2023-24 season. Converted 4,465 dunams = 446.5 ha. Hebrew report PDF: https://www.kkl.org.il/files/afforestation-and-environment/2024forest_report.pdf |
| Hectares restored | 2025 | 486 | no (that year) | Forestry Division (afforestation and forest renewal) | Estimated | [source](https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/sk37setlwx) Ynetnews (Jan 2026) reporting KKL-JNF Forestry Division data: 2024-25 season 'total planting by KKL-JNF amounted to about 4,858 dunams', 604 dunams new forest and 4,254 dunams renewal, 80 % broadleaf. Converted 4,858 dunams = 485.8 ha (10 dunams = 1 ha). |
| Hectares restored | 2019 | 100,000 | yes (to date) | Forestry Division (afforestation and forest renewal) | Self-reported | [source](https://marketingsections.kkl-jnf.org/forestry/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/03/Forestry-Facts-and-Figures-updated-2025-designed-.docx) KKL-JNF Forestry Facts and Figures (updated March 2025): 'As of 2019, KKL-JNF had planted more than 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) of forests'; the Forest Status Report 2024 puts the managed forest layer at about 1,500,000 dunams (150,000 ha) after adding 200,000 dunams from detailed forest plans. |
| Seedlings produced | 2024 | 800,000 | no (that year) | KKL-JNF tree nurseries | Self-reported | [source](https://marketingsections.kkl-jnf.org/news/?p=12722) KKL-JNF news release 15 May 2025: 'KKL-JNF nurseries produced around 800,000 seedlings, with 40% designated for forest planting and 60% supplied to external organizations'. The Forestry Facts and Figures 2025 sheet says about 1,000,000 saplings are grown each year. |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

## Upcoming events

- 2026-11-25 — Marching and Saluting 2026 (Tzo'adim u-Matzdi'im) – guided walks in 16 locations (Other), Jerusalem — register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZs86O63W_nKB_t9_89ewTsOhpr7nUlt2Jib0zSkmVgtg0Kw/viewform?usp=send_form — https://treerm.org/events/kkl-jnf/marching-and-saluting-2026-tzo-adim-u-matzdi-im-guided-walks-in-16-locations-202.md
- 2026-12-08 — Hanukkah Tours in the Land of the Hasmoneans – Modi'in and Ben Shemen Forest (Other), Modi'in — register: https://forms.kkl.org.il/form/hanukamodiin2026/users/new — https://treerm.org/events/kkl-jnf/hanukkah-tours-in-the-land-of-the-hasmoneans-modi-in-and-ben-shemen-forest-2026-.md

## Links

- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KKL.JNF.EN
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/KKLJNFWorldwide

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