Lower centre, remains of a large mature tree; at left, a handful of small trees regrowing naturally; at upper centre and right a bare, denuded landscape, the result of ill-advised clearing, over-grazing, and rabbit plagues. The topsoil has all washed and blown away, leaving a barren, rocky hill and a fast-eroding gully.
Most of the damage was done in the early-mid 20th Century. Modern farmers are much better informed and indeed the reason I was on this property (along with many other volunteers) was to lend a hand with planting to start the slow recovery. I took this picture in 2008: it will be quite a different scene today.