In the early years of the state, Jewish National Fund planted thousands of trees along the western edge of Jerusalem, creating a
green belt. The first tree of the Jerusalem Forest was planted in 1956 by the second
President of Israel,
Itzhak Ben-Zvi. At its peak, the area of the forest covered 4,700 dunams (470 hectares). Over the years, the boundaries of the forest have receded due to urban expansion, and it now covers only 1,250 dunams (125 hectares). The
Yad Vashem Holocaust museum is located in the forest below
Mount Herzl. In the middle of the forest, between Yad Vashem and Ein Kerem, is Mercaz Tzippori, a youth hostel. On this same campus is the office of "The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace", an Israeli non-profit organization that runs educational programs promoting tolerance and coexistence. The forest acts as a refuge for wildlife, and there are packs of
jackals that inhabit the forest. ==Conservation efforts==