Hello everyone!
Today we’re sharing some news from Terra Livha. Although the summer months have been mostly devoted to punctual follow-up of last year’s plantings, they have not been without events, which have kept us busy.
Before turning to the subject of future plantings, we’d like to share with you an event that took place this summer.
In mid-July, a fire accidentally broke out at the edge of the land, mainly affecting the edge of the property and part of the neighborhood. Fortunately, the fire department was able to intervene quickly, limiting the extent of the fire.
This was due to negligence on the part of a local person working on boundary maintenance in anticipation of fires (irony of fate…), who chose to use the tractor at a time to be avoided (in the afternoon on a very hot day), and unfortunately the consequence was sparks that initiated a fire which then spread.
Fortunately, despite this regrettable event, its impact was limited. This is because the landscape in the region is not as problematic for fires as other parts of Portugal, and few fires have occurred in the last decade or so.
There are only few eucalyptus or other highly flammable tree species, which means that fires are easier to control and less extensive.
Furthermore, the fire occurred in an area with more grassland and therefore no high density of trees.
As a result, the fire resembled a brush fire, which passed quickly without burning the trees. The grass on the ground was affected, and the trees, with 2 exceptions (very dry trees surrounded by undergrowth), were all affected only on superficial levels. The ground has already greened up, and branches that had lost leaves or whose leaves had turned yellow in the heat are already showing leaves that have been growing back since September.
It’s an experience that will serve us well in the future, and shows that we need to be more present on site by developing hosting capacities soon, so that we can prevent this kind of negligence (deciding to use a farm machine in the middle of a hot summer hour) from happening in our absence. So we’re going to be even more careful in collaborating with local professionals, and how we monitor their work. We’ve also been working on a fire protection plan since April this year.
This land management plan will include fire protection zones:
- At the top of slopes (fire tends to rise)
- Surrounding future residential areas
- And protection from prevailing winds
Wetter areas via ponds and well-chosen tree plantations will also be gradually introduced, helping to increase humidity on the land and playing a role in fire protection.
These measures, which we have studied with a professional specializing in the subject, will greatly limit future risks.
In the end, in what at first sight appeared to be a difficult experience, we were fortunate in that the land was only marginally affected. It’s a great learning experience, and one that will help the project to grow and become more solid.
To continue on a more uplifting news, it is with joy that we can share that we will be renewing a tree-planting operation this year, at the beginning of December 🌱
The idea is to plant around 1,000 trees in 2 conservation areas of the grounds, close to the future residence area. The idea is to plant hardy varieties that will be able to grow on their own without the need for watering. In addition to these young trees, we’ll also be planting acorns from local oaks.
We’ll also have the help of a tractor to make lines that will help water infiltration on the slightly sloping areas and help replenish the soil with water and reduce future erosion.
Finally, we’ll lay mulch around the plantings to help them retain moisture better, and swarm these areas with seeds to encourage greater plant diversity and improve the soil.
A team of volunteers has already been assembled, and we will be accompanied as last year by André Vizinho and his team, who are specialists in local “montado” ecosystems and in reforestation operations in the region.
This operation is made possible thanks to everyone’s generous donations, and we are delighted to be able to share with you that we have raised the funds for this operation! 🎊 Our heartfelt thanks to all those who have already been able to contribute to support this operation 💛🙏
Here’s a map of the planned plantings :
We’ll keep you posted soon on the progress of this operation, with certainly a mini-report coming soon 😊
If you’d like to take part in future field activities, don’t hesitate to get in touch via the website’s contact page!
See you soon for more news,
The Terra Livha team
