The Role of Trees

I am reading “Water for Every Farm”, P.A. Yeoman Keyline Plan, in my usual way, over a couple of years, as I absorb all the new vocabulary.

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It seems that in the areas of Australia that provide the examples, there are very few trees.  Since our Missouri property is untouched deciduous Ozark oak forest, I have been having trouble applying what I am learning.

Finally, though, some of it is making sense.

I am delighted to find that the chapter on Trees, (Chapter 15, about half-way through the book), cites several examples of stock management and water design.  

I especially like learning how cities and forests can interact for waste management and fertility for forests.  

This has much wider application, of course, in many different geographic locations.

I also appreciate the drought and flood control aspects.

After watching thousands of gallons per minute come down one of our valleys during a couple of three-week rains two months in a row, I am encouraged to think how that water might be managed across the property.

(We were stuck on the property during Spring a year ago, because our wet weather creek was over 100 feet wide.  Fortunately, we had already made our haul of fresh water, we had five five-gallon bottles, and about three months of canning.)

It was fascinating to see how much water could collect, and in this case, run off the property, and where this was happening.

In previous years, before we lived on the property, we could only visit the front gate and look down the road.

Now, I am looking forward to becoming more knowledgable so that when I do hire consultants, I will know what they are talking about.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

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