As you may know, if you work in the Mediterranean climate, the Summer sun is a tough one and can have certain plants absolutely scorched by the Summer sun. Tomatoes are quite an example of that, and that happens with many nightshades and other summer vegetables. The same can happen to bushes and trees if planted in full sun. And for me this is one of the main reason I stick with syntropic agroforestry to this day. I've made observations of Summer crops planted in full sun vs between syntropic lines. And the difference can be massive sometimes. Not only are they protecting the crops from intense sunlight but as well from evaporation which is another consideration. So, it's why I want to share with you 5 of the emergent powerhouse trees that work quite well in the Mediterranean. The emergent strata/layer is key in the Mediterranean for our dappled sunlight trickling through our canopy layer and below. And I will share quick considerations about all 5 of them. You'll understand by the end of this article that these 5 different emergents are adapted to different conditions and there's always drawbacks in using any of them but also advantages that you can benefit from for your specific context Eucalyptus (camaldulensis/globulus) Everyone who's planted a syntropic system in the Mediterranean has tried planting eucalyptus. After all it's been referred to as "the king" for its fast growth and enormous biomass that it can offer. I've had many grow to 2m tall in 1 year with little irrigation. Now one consideration, eucalyptus trees grow much faster if they have access to underground water, but it is is still possible to grow them with driplines, after all these eucalyptus that grew 2m in one year did not have access to ground water. But for a very limited water supply they might not be your best bet. As well, it's important to discern eucalyptus growth in the subtropics from the semi-arid climate. In the subtropics you'd see many people taking their heads completely off. Same in Mediterranean plantations that have access to groundwater but if that's not your case, it's important to keep stubs and/or branches that have the potential to become new leaders rather than taking off 100% of its foliage.

Hi, you all - little announcement - I am in the process of making a mini-course on stratification or plant layering. Meaning the way plants arrange themselves in nature according to their needs of light and how we can use this principle to accumulate the most energy, - photosynthesis therefore biomass therefore topsoil in one's system. These videos will be "whiteboard" style teachings with clear examples and identifications of plant stratas. While in the process, I am still open to receive feedback to make this course even more valuable for you. Any suggestions, any doubts for some of you that still have an issue understanding the basics of stratification properly ? Share them here and we can have a good talk about it !