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U.S. Forest Service


Native Plant Restoration and Bank Stabilization Along the Indian Wild and Scenic River

By Janel Crooks on Jan 1, 2008

The following text describes this image.

White pine, willow, alder, red-osier dogwood, balsam poplar, and joe pye weed were among the species planted.

Native plants were used to restore and rehabilitate two sites along the Indian Wild and Scenic River. Working with volunteers, we reduced sedimentation by 0.6 tons annually.

By Linda Peterson

Historic management and current land use practices have de-stabilized some of the banks on the Indian Wild and Scenic River. Sedimentation from these banks causes loss of habitat for fish and invertebrates and decreased water quality.

In spring of 2007 the Hiawatha National Forest undertook a project to rehabilitate eroding banks and restore native vegetation along the Indian Wild and Scenic River using live fascines made from native plant material. The restoration crew cut several truck loads of alder, willow, and dogwood live stems from a local wetland.

Cuttings were soaked in a nearby lake overnight and transported to the worksite the morning of the project. Stems were trimmed, bundled and tied into fascines. The banks were terraced with shallow cup trenches. Fascines were set into each trench, covered with soil and staked into place using cuttings from the live fascine material.

Once the banks were stabilized, certified weed free soil was spread over the site as a growth medium. The slope was then planted with locally collected native seed and seedlings propagated at the Forest Service greenhouse in cooperation with the Marquette County Conservation District. To deter foot traffic and protect the slope until the plants become established, slash was placed over the newly stabilized bank. When the plants become established these project areas will become a source of native seed and future fascine material within the wild and scenic river corridor.

Both sites were monitored for effectiveness two months after implementation. New growth was documented on the fascines and the live stakes. The seedling trees, native plugs, live cuttings and native seed all showed signs of establishment. Significant rain events have occurred at both sites and the stabilizations have functioned effectively.