Cottonwood and Willow Pole Planting

• Suggested Methodologies for Cottonwood Pole, Willow Whip, and Longstem Plantings

  This guide describes techniques for harvesting, storing, and planting various types of plant materials, including dormant cottonwood pole cuttings, willow whip cuttings, and longstem products. This guide was prepared by Tamarisk Coalition, based on input provided by Los Lunas Plant Materials Center.  
• A Guide for Harvesting, Storing, and Planting Dormant Willow Cuttings

  This guide, produced by Wildlands Restoration  Volunteers, describes appropriate techniques for gathering, storing and planting dormant willow cuttings for revegetation and bank stabilization projects. 
• Instructions for Harvesting, Transporting, and Storing Live Cuttings

  This document by Wildhorse Riverworks describes how to use live cuttings in revegetation projects.
• Use of Non-Dormant Cottonwood Poles for Riparian Revegetation
• Guidelines for Planting Dormant Whip Cuttings to Revegetate and Stabilize Streambanks
• Tech Note 23: How to Plant Willows and Cottonwoods for Riparian Restoration

  This Natural Resources Conservation Service document describes proper techniques for planting cottonwoods and willows. 
• Cluster Plantings: A Way to Plant Live Unrooted Cuttings in Coarse Soils Including Sands, Gravels and Cobbles
• A Vegetative Key to the Willows of Colorado: A Preponderance of the Evidence
• Evaluation of Fall Versus Spring Planting of Dormant Hardwood Willow Cuttings With and Without Soaking Treatment
• Dolores River Restoration Partnership - Active Revegetation: Moving Forward

  This document discusses riparian restoration lessons learned by the Dolores River Restoration Partnership over the last five years. Working across two states, four Bureau of Land Management offices, and five counties, the Partnership has had a number of successes, total failures, and projects somewhere in the middle. 

  The document is organized into key revegetation components, including:

  • Passive versus active revegetation
  • Site selection
  • Species size and selection
  • Planting and seeding
  • Maintenance 
• Harvesting Cottonwood and Willow Poles, Stinger Bar, and Waddle Techniques

  This video demonstrates techniques for planting dormant cottonwood and willow cuttings. Techniques utilized have been shown to improve the efficacy and survival of unrooted materials used in restoration projects. This video was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. 
• The Reality of Climate Change and the Need for Genetics Approaches in Riparian Restoration; Thomas Whitham
• Restoring Cottonwoods to Altered Rivers in Western Colorado; Amanda Clements
• Guidance for Stream Restoration and Rehabilitation
  A great deal of effort has been devoted to developing guidance for stream restoration and rehabilitation. The available resources are diverse, reflecting the wide ranging approaches used and expertise required to develop stream restoration projects. To help practitioners sort through all of this information, a technical note has been developed to provide a guide to the wealth of information available. The document structure is primarily a series of short literature reviews followed by a hyperlinked reference list for the reader to find more information on each topic. The primary topics incorporated into this guidance include general methods, an overview of stream processes and restoration, case studies, and methods for data compilation, preliminary assessments, and field data collection. Analysis methods and tools, and planning and design guidance for specific restoration features, are also provided. This technical note is a bibliographic repository of information available to assist professionals with the process of planning, analyzing, and designing stream restoration and rehabilitation projects. 
• Revegetation Plans for Stream Restoration Projects
  A well-designed revegetation plan is a foundational component of a successful stream restoration project. It helps to ensure the establishment and long-term viability of a healthy riparian corridor, which is critical to stream ecology and stream structure. This technical guidance document provides information and recommendations on:

  • Important elements to consider when developing a revegetation plan for a stream restoration project
  • Construction specifications within revegetation plans
  • Items to address during and after construction