Alonim (Nature Reserve) , or Yaar Alonim , or Forest Alonim ( Hebrew יער אלונים , or שמורת אלונים ) is a large nature reserve in the west of Lower Galilee . The name is translated from Hebrew as “Oaks”.
The reserve unites a large hilly area between the kibbutz Alonim , the village of Kaabiya-Tabash and the settlement of Rehasim .
The territory was declared a reserve on March 30, 2009.
Until the 1980s, the Tavor oak forest (which is a distinctive feature of the east of the Lower Galilee ) was a continuous forest belt, while under the accelerated development program, new Jewish and Bedouin settlements were founded here, including Nofit , Kaabia-Tabash , Alon ha-Galil and others
The territory of the reserve for 2016 is 4606 dunams (4.61 square kilometers). Together with the Alonei-Aba Nature Reserve, adjacent to the northeast, it forms a single area equal to 5550 dunams (5.55 square kilometers).
Flora
The reserve includes most of the oak forests of the eastern Lower Galilee . The forest consists mainly of Tabor oak and carob trees . There is also common oak , pine , olive and some other trees.
For the most part, the reserve forms a rare forest with glades.
The nature of the reserve varies greatly in the summer and winter, due to the fact that the main types of trees in it dump foliage in the winter. In winter, the land here is covered with thick grass, and in early spring there is an active flowering of herbs .
Fauna
Wild boars , porcupines , badgers, and also forest and field mice live in the reserve’s ecosystem.
Interesting Facts
There are a number of ancient burials and tombs in the reserve. They are mainly concentrated north of Bethlehem of Galilee ( Heb. בית לחם הגלילית ).
An endless stream Nahal-Zfori flows through the reserve, along the channel of which you can meet several abandoned mills and a stone arch-type bridge.
Through the territory of the reserve passes the route of the National Israeli Highway .
Settlements
The following settlements are located (or adjacent to it closely) on the territory of the reserve:
Rehasim , Kibbutz Alonim , Nofit, Ibtin, Havaalid, Kiryat Tivon , Basmat-Tabun , Zabaydat, Ras Ali , Kibbutz Arduf and the local council of Kaabiya-Tabash-Hadzhajar .