Planting season began early this year in the Conewago watershed as volunteers helped to plant "live stakes," along the Little Conewago Creek near Colebrook in March. Volunteers helped cut and plant live stakes that will help reduce erosion along the Little Conewago Creek in Lancaster, Lebanon and Dauphin counties.

Live stakes are cuttings that are harvested from new growth branches of tree species like black willow and red osier dogwood.

These native trees commonly grow along stream banks, at or below the water line, providing bank soil stabilization and habitat for aquatic life.

On March 21 volunteers got started by harvesting willow, dogwood, and elderberry stakes. Matt Royer, director of the Lower Susquehanna Initiative, taught volunteers the proper method to harvest cuttings: pruning the young branch at a 45-degree angle at the base, trimming off the small shoots to a single, 18-24" live stake, with a straight cut across the top to encourage new growth.

Royer says that it is important to harvest the live stakes while they are still dormant and have not begun to leaf out.

Some of the cuttings were potted and sent to Davis Nursery, a partner of the Initiative, for use in future streamside buffer plantings. Two days later, volunteers stepped into hip waders, got into the Little Conewago Creek at the Hanson Farm, and planted the remaining willow and dogwood live stakes.

Using a piece of rebar to first drill a hole in the stream bank, they inserted the live stakes just above the surface of the water, spacing the stakes every two feet. Harvesting more live stakes from black willow and red osier dogwood stands along the creek as they went; the volunteers planted a considerable section of the creek.

Once the weather warmed up, the live stakes begin to grow roots and leaves.  Lower Susquehanna Initiative Program Coordinator, Kristen Kyler, recently visited the Hanson Farm to check on the planting and was excited to see that almost all of the live stakes had green leaves and looked healthy.

While the new growth helps determine if the live stake is still alive, the Initiative is really hoping that most of the plant’s energy is being used to grow strong, deep roots. The roots will be necessary to hold the new tree in place and to ensure long term success.

The relative ease and cost-effectiveness of live staking makes it an important tool for volunteer stream restoration projects. In a few years, this section of stream should be well vegetated and much healthier. It is a volunteer project to be proud of.

To learn more, visit the Conewago Initiative webpage and to see more photos of the planting, visit the Conewago Initiative Facebook page.

(Written By: Kristen Kyler, Program Coordinator, Lower Susquehanna Initiative, Penn State Extension and Kate Austin, Pennsylvania Grassroots Field Organizer, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and reprinted from the Penn State Extension Watershed Winds newsletter.)

7/15/2013