We quickly realised that when it rains, it is torrential and the water drains away faster than you can see. This is because the land has been maltreated by years of livestock farming and incorrect soil cultivation. Pigs and sheep ate everything bare; young trees had no chance. And last but not least, the land was ploughed just before the summer to prevent the little dry grass from catching fire. Open soil heats up very quickly and reaches temperatures that are twice to three times higher than those of overgrown soil. In our case, the little grass, thistles and other herbaceous plants that grew were allowed to stand until they turned brown. It was then cut with our specially purchased cordless brush cutter and left as mulch to encourage the build-up of a humus layer.