Reforestation

As humans, we have the ability to destroy forests, but the great thing is that we are also able to rebuild them. Nature can take a hundred years or more to restore a deforested landscape, but we can speed up the process by boosting ecological succession.

In addition to our holistic grazing activities to bring life to the soil and the building of lakes, keyline design and swales to collect water, we stimulate the growth of vegetation by planting pioneer species that are nitrogen-fixing. We have seeded ground covers such as lupine and planted fast growing trees and shrubs that also create shade and biomass among Tagasaste, Poplars, Acacia, Black Locust and Cusuarina. Our favorite is the Cusuarina because it also provides us with construction wood. Cidres trees are planted at the edges because they are fire retardant.

The trees capture carbon in the soil and contribute to climate change mitigation. Wood as a renewable resource is ultimately carbon positive because the roots remain in the soil and because they have created channels for other organisms. The root systems retain water, keep the soil moist and control erosion. Resilience increases, leading to reduced input requirements and increased system productivity. Trees provide a cooling effect, resulting in less evaporation. The root structures also help establish relationships between bacteria and mycelium. Deep taproots take minerals and nutrients from the soil to the top layers and become available to other plants when they compost. All these activities help to create the conditions for restoring a healthy ecosystem, providing habitat for animals and creating more diversity. Finally bringing the dry, desolate landscape back to a thriving forest.