#169 Why we removed this huge patch of trees

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:01]Hey, welcome back. It's been 5 years since we start with the project and over this time more than 100 people have helped us out to create a tiny village out of this abandoned piece of land. We are just coming out of a long and stormy winter here in Portugal where we had to make some fixes and we had some small damages and also we had some time to make a big landscape project. Welcome to a new season of project camp.

[00:00:35]This winter we did a lot of computer work and planning. It's kind of nice to work here in the office. We have nice views. We have a wooden stove. So even when it's cold and rainy outside, it's kind of cozy to work in this place. So we defined the projects that are coming for this season. But we also did a lot of internal work regarding the future of project camp. We scouted the team for season 6 and we post some updates in Patreon. We also had a big landscaping project, but Julie will tell you more about it.

[00:01:07]>> So, winter time in Project Camp and that means that we can actually do a lot of chopping and this time we found a big group of people that will come and chop this patch and it has some history. So, let me tell you a bit more about it. So we started in season 4 but at that time we had a very small team very unexperienced in this big jobs and almost no tools.

[00:01:31]So we're just looking at what we've done. We've done this in about 3 weeks and we have to do this.

[00:01:38]This is the original idea.

[00:01:41]Um, so >> so maybe not.

[00:01:49]>> We tried again in season 5. This time we decided to outsource the work, but it was impossible to hire. Everyone in the area was booked because all people around have the same issue with fire risk and mimosa. So now that we found some professionals that want to do the job, we can actually make it happen. And they are actually the same ones that did clear all around the community center.

[00:02:12]And we know they are pretty fast. So before we go into the chopping, I want to show you this big patch from a different angle. Let's have a look from above.

[00:02:31]We want to catch this patch to be more safe in case of a wildfire comes from this direction which is very likely as you might know. Now we are in the chopped area that we did in season 4 and here we left Tommy Mazas with a distance of 5 m in the in between them but it actually leaves way too much sunlight through and therefore there is a lot of reef sprouting happening. The ones that stayed they did grow bigger but all the resp sprouts around make it extra difficult to maintain this area.

[00:03:01]They also have a lot of strength from each other. And then when we cut all around suddenly this one is standing by itself and maybe not able to. So in the moment that we were chopping this area we left a couple of stems high. This to place all the matter that we took down behind it and create retention lines to avoid erosion from happening on this patch.

[00:03:22]But at that point, we didn't know that this matter was going to decompose so slowly. And now seeing it, it became actually more a fire hazard than it did good for this area. Maybe not the best approach in this place. But there is still a really big area that has not been touched at all since the fire in 2017 where they've made here the path to actually walk to the top rock. Here we still have a really dense area never touched and never seen.

[00:03:55]So here on the public road that goes through our land, you can actually see how tall the Mimosa already has been growing and how much that wood is laying around. Looks like one messy patch.

[00:04:08]So we're going to cut the whole patch down and that will make the land more fire resilient. We can go really rough because there are not that many native trees. And in the end, we just chip as much as we can to protect the soil.

[00:04:20]Let's get started because there is a lot of work to do.

[00:04:28]Let's get started.

[00:05:08]Heat. Heat.

[00:05:11]Heat.

[00:05:35]So, it became all a bit too much of green matter. So, we're going to try if the tractor even goes on top of it if it still works. Let's see if it shreds.

[00:06:01]Almost getting Heat.

[00:06:31]Heat.

[00:06:53]It made it.

[00:07:12]Yes. Now the tractor got stuck. So let's see how they solve this one.

[00:07:38]So, in this patch, it's a bit more complex because we're on a slope almost hitting. That's why we are wearing safety helmets, but the tractor is on a slope and therefore it's very hard. So, we going to all need to move out now because the machine is going to turn, which spins a lot of wood around often. So, that's why we're also with the helmets. And now we need to make space so he can make space.

[00:08:02]So then they can go again.

[00:08:54]Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat.

[00:09:07]Say something.

[00:09:09]Hey, >> this is our neighbor tokash. He used to come here a lot when he was younger.

[00:09:22]After many years of this land being abandoned, he is happy to see all the progress we are doing here. The noise made him curious and he came to check on us. So, we took this as an opportunity to show him the other ruins.

[00:09:43]Music. You'll be missing.

[00:09:59]So today, second day, and they already started. Like it's very early still, but they're full on.

[00:10:10]Heat.

[00:10:15]Heat.

[00:10:39]Heat.

[00:10:42]Heat.

[00:11:10]Hey, hey, hey.

[00:11:39]So yes, in no time they found their way all the way up to the top rock with a tractor shredding all the material down here. Luckily, they were able to watch all the native trees and they left them.

[00:11:52]So, they're just pruned up until one tree and we having couple of oak trees already in the bottom. They are separating the tops from the trunks. So, then the tractor goes back down, drives over the tops and we having a nice mulchy surface. From now on, we're just going to walk towards base camp.

[00:12:14]So now the tractor is getting very close to the part that we already have cut to make a a way through. And it's almost here.

[00:12:57]So today is day three. It's the third one.

[00:13:05]So they're getting ready for the rain because it's raining a lot still. The tractor managed to get into the field, but the guys now need to put a lot of protection. And sometimes when it's raining too much, they cannot work here.

[00:13:18]And here it's because we only have mimosa and it captures a lot of rain.

[00:13:22]But if it would be a field with only oaks or only pines, they would be able to work. They don't get so wet. Here they're getting super wet.

[00:13:45]Heat. Heat.

[00:14:25]Okay, today day four and it's getting towards an end.

[00:14:40]Plus, today we got a bit more sun Heat.

[00:15:26]Heat.

[00:15:34]And that's exactly why we are wearing a helmet here because the wood is just flying all over the place.

[00:15:49]Heat.

[00:16:04]Heat.

[00:16:32]Hey, hey, hey.

[00:16:43]Okay, the sun didn't last long. Luckily, they finished on time just before the storms and intense rainfall in Portugal.

[00:16:56]Parts of Portugal could get uh the sort of rain that normally um is consumed um in a year in just uh 3 days. The Portuguese government announced on Thursday that it had decided to declare a state of emergency. You can see Very rainy.

[00:18:04]So are cool.

[00:18:07]The water is flowing everywhere.

[00:18:13]This is the lagoon. It's really full.

[00:18:16]It is never so full. So, but even though the lagoon is not overflowing here, a bit lower.

[00:18:28]See, everything is getting soaked. And after many days of storms, we always have some issues with the mimosas. They catch a lot of water. They bend. They are quite weak. So they tend to fall and you never know what's going to come after this kind of a storm. So let's see what we have around.

[00:18:49]So this is the path we built couple of years ago to enter in the middle land.

[00:18:56]Didn't fall yet, but it's quite low.

[00:19:01]So look here.

[00:19:03]One, two, three, and four is in the way. So now it's time to cut otherwise we cannot go out.

[00:19:28]These are actually the most painful ones to find because we try to clear around the our structures, but there's always so many muses that can reach it.

[00:19:40]And here it was quite of a thick one on top of the storage container.

[00:19:46]Not a lot of damage. It is always painted.

[00:19:51]There's a bit of a dent on the roof.

[00:19:54]Not a big deal, but will stay forever there.

[00:20:15]There being there bending it completely.

[00:20:21]>> Yeah.

[00:20:25]>> You got it. Watch your face.

[00:20:33]>> Yeah.

[00:20:34]>> Good. Oh, I think it's not going to be the same, but with a few hammering up to make it look nice.

[00:20:45]This used to be dry, but after two days of rain. Oh god, look at this. Come to my uncle the water.

[00:20:59]Let's see how the waterfall is doing after all these rainy days. This is just the entrance.

[00:21:06]seems a bit overflow. This this is also the path where we go to the waterfall and it's dry usually.

[00:21:17]And now there's a bit of water around.

[00:21:44]Heat. Heat.

[00:22:06]Even with the door open, we left it open for a few days. The lagoon is getting full anyway for the amount of water that is coming.

[00:22:28]So here on the big patch, a lot of mimosas have fell down. And as you see, they are still alive. They are now blooming. But it also means that they are very heavy because they contain a lot of water in their trunks.

[00:22:42]makes it a big job to take all these mimosa away on the field that we normally use to cut the hay with our neighbor George. Let's see how we're going to do that.

[00:23:28]Finally, we got a sunny day and we can show you around the patch because everything has been chopped.

[00:23:35]So before in this area we had the approach of leaving 5 mters between the mimosas but now we decided to take everything out and create a proper fire break.

[00:23:45]Instead we left a thick layer of wood chips on the surface. This all from the tops of the mimosa. We hope that this will reduce the amount of resp sprouting of the mimosa because the whole surface is covered.

[00:23:57]And we also hope that this prevents the soil from erosion. We were a bit afraid that the wood chips would flush off with the rain, but with this amount of rain we had now and they're still on, they will stay.

[00:24:11]So from where in this area was not a single native tree.

[00:24:16]Now we are seeing that in the other area there are some.

[00:24:21]We have oaks, cork oaks, madronos, pines and one eucalyptus tree.

[00:24:27]We have a lot of spare wood now and we will have to take care of it. This patch is done.

[00:24:33]>> Once again, we have realized how weak mimosas can be and this patch is a big step forward towards make our land more fire resilient. Now we are ready for more people to arrive and start a new season just like nature around us. And if you like what we do, you can support us in Patreon and watch already the next two updates in 4K and with no ads.

[00:24:57]Otherwise, you can subscribe in YouTube, comment, and like. Thanks for watching and see you in the next update.