Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of France, December 2022
Félix is a cattle farmer in the Basque country (Pays Basque, southwest France). He decided to plant 1,510 trees on his livestock land with an eye to obtaining 1,208 perennials over time. Planting was completed in March 2021. While the first phase was carried out with high school students, the second involved volunteers working over two days. The relationship with these volunteers has even extended further, with some returning to help Félix with maintain the plantations.
Despite the especially tough summer of 2022 (extreme heat), the trees are doing well; after growing their root systems for two years, they were able to seek water deeply enough to cope with the drought. Over 1,208 trees are now growing on Felix’s plots of grazing land.
Within five years, the white mulberry trees will be grazed every year, during late summer, when there is less grass available. The leaves of the mulberry tree are edible and will provide valuable nutrition for the herd. The amount produced by all the trees planted will feed the cattle for more than one week in summer. At the same time, a forage harvester will be used to store and preserve the twigs and leaves of the trees, so making it easier to feed them to the animals.
Areas have been planted with tightly packed trees to create denser shaded areas that will reduce wind speeds and lower temperatures during spells of hot weather.
Have you heard of a tree planter?
After preparing the soil and sowing a plant cover, the seedlings were planted using a planter hitched behind the tractor. This planter, a tool designed through shared farming knowledge and practices, is used by several farmers in the Gers (or Gascony, department in southwest France). It makes planting easier and accurately positions the trees.
Previously on Félix’s project
