During the mid-20th century, large areas of Israel were transformed by one of the country's most ambitious reforestation programmes.
Millions of pine trees were planted to stabilise soils, combat erosion and create forests on previously open landscapes.
At first, the initiative appeared to be an environmental success, with barren hillsides becoming green woodlands.
However, decades later, ecologists discovered that the trees themselves were only part of the story.
The dense Mediterranean shrubs that naturally regenerated beneath the pine canopy proved to be far more influential in determining which bird species settled in these forests.
