As the future of the human race is stored in sperm banks, the future generations of Israel's forests are stored in their own type of bank: Introducing the Bet Nehemya seed bank, where a cooled container (-15F, 30 percent humidity, to be exact) holds millions of different seeds awaiting their turn to be sown in the ground.
To help make the north green again - click here
"I don't think we're disturbing the natural order of things, we simply assist in the process," the bank's manager, Aviv Eisenbend, says. Together with the other three team members, they extract the seeds from the fruit. They select the highest quality fruit from the best trees. "We have enough seeds here to cover the entire country with trees," Eisenbend says, as he lovingly caresses the bags that hold the seeds of oak, carob, almond and dozens of other types of trees.
The team follow procedures similar to those customary in sterile laboratories; "we imitate naturally occurring processes. For example we replicate the transfer of a seed through an animal's intestinal system using sulfuric acid," he adds. The seeds are distributed to foresters as well as researchers that investigate enhancement techniques. "It is very rewarding to know we take part in creating the forests our children and grand-children will enjoy."
RSS
