Trees in the farm, Part 5

Photos below as of September 26, 2015, my last visit to the farm in Bugallon, Pangasinan. This is the main road going there. Passable by tricycles, non-4WD but higher clearance vehicles.

Peeping at the pathway going to the treehouse, between small mahogany trees and coconut trees.

My treehouse, surrounded by mostly mahogany trees on the left, back and right. Then the rice field of Nong Endring, our caretaker. On the left side are some acacia auri young trees.

Going a bit up, not passable to any vehicle because the creek has widened and deepened, after years of heavy flash flood every year. Trek by foot or bicycle.

Y foot path. To the left is going to the mango farm, to the right is going to the irrigation canal, more mahogany trees, and the upland.

The farm is being sold by the owners. Prospective buyers ask how many trees are there, wow. Difficult to answer, should be a few tens of thousands, big and small. Some parts have become new natural forest, the new trees just sprout like grasses.

Some parts of the farm are not conducive to any crops, not even trees could grow big. These are the rocky parts with some mineral deposits, mostly silica.

The irrigation canal. The trees here have grown rather more evenly.

Once the trees have established themselves, grasses and  cogons can no longer survive. No sunlight for them, no substantial soil nutrients for them as these have been gobbled by the elaborate roots of mahogany trees.

With zero mango harvest the past four years, revenues from selling lumber from some big trees have helped us pay for the monthly salary + SSS contributions of our two caretakers, Nong Endring  and his son Danny.
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See also: 
Trees in the Farm, Part 3, February 11, 2013
Natural Regeneration of Trees, February 21, 2013
Tree Planting vs. Tree Growing, June 08, 2014 
Wasteful DENR Reforestations, October 22, 2014 
Denuded Uplands, Western Pangasinan, February 17, 2015
Trees in the farm, Part 4, June 23, 2015

Terraces at Mahogany Area

These photos were taken November 23, 2014. We expanded the terrace here. Below, before and after.

Another view, before and after.

We cleared many grasses, vines and small mahogany trees that are too close to each other and hence, have no chance of growing big. Organic matter as filling materials. Through time, natural  soil erosion from higher ground will  fill up and flatten, even exceed, this area. Then there will be a need to raise the terrace's height, or build a second, higher row of terrace.

Another view. Lower photo, from left: Marlon (extra worker for that day only), Nong Endring Paragas, and his son Danny.

And these photos below taken last weekend. From two layers raised to four layers of stones. Lots of organic matter, soil and small stones were added at the back of these bigger stones.

Stones re-arranged and a 4th layer of stones were added.

Thanks for viewing.
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See also:

Stone Terraces, Part 7, March 30, 2014

Presentation at WASWAC Seminar at BSWM, DA, May 13, 2014

Stone Terraces, Part 8, June 03, 2014

Terraces, Part 9, July 07, 2014 

Terraces, Part 10, August 30, 2014

Terraces, Part 11, October 22, 2014

My Treehouse, March 2014

My treehouse, built around March 2004 or 10 years ago, has experienced a major facelift this month. Here is how it looks now, when I visited the farm last weekend.

And how it looked last month, February 2014.

The slatted bamboo floor have been replaced with wood, from slabs of big mahogany trees that were harvested two months ago.

Now, view from below, from another side of the house.

Before: extension on the left side of the second floor.

Now: extended longer.