September 12, 2025 — Finca Alazan Updates group
”I was thinking that it might be helpful if I started posting short bits about the syntropic and permacultural thinking behind some of the aspects of Finca Alazan so that the principles of these traditions can influence our direction forward.
One obvious and easy thing to discuss is the North South axis of orientation of our tree rows. In Syntropic design, maximizing sun exposure is key. By lining up our tall trees in North South rows we allow the rising sun to bathe the East side of the row, while the afternoon sun similarly gets the West side. The 6 M spacing between rows allows the sun passing perpendicularly overhead to penetrate down between the tree rows to the grass row and to perfuse the strata below the canopy with just the right level of sun for each species of plant in the row.
When I learned this in a Syntropic design class, I literally smacked my head and said ‘duh’. Lol. In hindsight it is such an obvious notion. This basic design principle continues to guide our planning for the imagined Phase 3 Sylvopasture system (we prefer to call it Sylvapasture). 😁”