Effect of Aleppo Pine Plantations (Pinus halepensis) on the Transformation of the Semidesert Landscapes of Southeast Israel

Abstract

Anthropogenically deserted landscapes of southeastern Israel and their transformation under the influence of forest plantations are discussed. The first planting of coniferous forests in this area was performed in the middle of the last century on the stony hills of the southern part of the Hebron Highlands (Negev Plateau). The main forest-forming species of newly created forests is the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis). The interaction between the soil parameters of the landscape and the state of pine plantations is considered. The decisive influence of needle litter on the growth and development of coniferous forests was revealed. An approach to the assessment of the state of landscapes with coniferous forests in the normal state and forest with impaired integrity was proposed.