After a year and a half of thinking about it -and after visiting Scott Hall on his farm, as well as the Permadynamics family in New Zealand - I finally took the leap and planted an infestation block of Acacia saligna. In this video, I am breaking down what Infestation actually means, and why it can be such a powerful lever - especially in brittle climates (Arid, Semi-arid or Mediterranean climates) Infestation isn’t a standalone method. It’s the first step in a broader framework called Successional Accumulation, a concept developed and coined by Scott Hall. The process unfolds in these three stages: - Infestation - Stabilisation - Succession We’ll dive deeper into each of these steps here on the platform as we go ! What I’ve found is that this approach is far more practical at scale than trying to plant everything all at once - especially when you’re limited in water, amendments, or access. And Scott covers his experience with it on his platform. It’s a way to work with constraints instead of fighting them, and it can significantly reduce costs while setting up a long-term resilience strategy. I’d really love to hear your thoughts. What species have you seen that could play a similar role in your climate ?

2 and a half years ago, I planted this very dense 400 sq/m SAF - design made by a consultant. I wanted to show you what a real growth pulse looks like just 2 weeks after management. That’s the effect of gibberellins and root exudates being released throughout the system. In a Mediterranean climate - growth is much slower than in the subtropics/tropics. The response is especially visible. Such a great feeling to witness this !