How Fresopolis is making the arid landscape bloom with the paulownia tree
Welcome to Fresopolis -a place that is not only surrounded by lush green woodland on Google Maps, but also has a special story at its heart. Anyone who visits our farm today immediately gets a sense of peace, vitality and hope. But it wasn’t always like this… Like many farmlands around the world, our estate was deforested, intensively exploited and treated with chemicals in the 1980s. The former diversity gave way to a barren, depleted landscape.When we took over in 2019, more than 50% of our land was devastated -a reflection of the global crisis, in which around 30% of all farmland is now degraded.
We were faced with the question: how can we restore these areas? We found the answer in regenerative agriculture -and in 2024 we took the step of planting our first agroforestry in one of the ‘Fresopolis wastelands’. We chose the paulownia, also known as the bluebell tree. Why this particular tree? Paulownia is not only one of the fastest growing trees on earth, but also stores up to 46 times more CO2 in 20 years than a German oak. It is drought-tolerant, resistant to pests and is recommended by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture as a bee-friendly tree species. In just 20 years, a Paulownia tree can bind up to 1,197 kg of CO2 -a real climate tree that actively contributes to restoration and breathes new life into the soil.
The extraordinary thing about Fresopolis: our Paulownias already bloomed in their first year
A unique surprise even for experienced gardeners, as paulownias do not normally flower until their fifth year. This amazing phenomenon shows how special our place is -and how much power there is in nature when it is given room to flourish.
Everyone who visits us, feels the positiveenergy and optimism that radiates from our agroforestry. Fresopolis is a place of transformation -for nature, for us and for everyone who wants to be part of this journey. Once you’ve been here, you’ll never want to leave.
Author: Francesco del Orbe
