By Danielle Rhea, Penn State Extension

This spring, participants in the Backyard Stream Repair Webinar Series had the chance to put what they learned in webinars to action at a stream in Butler, PA.

Many of our Pennsylvania streams need some love. After historic statewide deforestation and development over time, today it is not uncommon to find streams that are eroding, causing property loss, or simply are unable to support the expected aquatic life.

Luckily, there are some straightforward steps that landowners can take to repair eroding backyard streams.

By not mowing up to the stream’s edge, planting native trees and shrubs along the banks and riparian areas, and reconnecting the stream to its floodplain, we can improve bank stability, reduce erosion and downstream flooding, filter pollutants, and improve stream health overall.

These simple solutions were the focus of Extension's spring Backyard Stream Repair Webinar Series.

For five weeks, over 500 participants learned about evaluating stream health, options for stream repair, selecting plants, live staking, grading, and maintaining streamside projects. To provide opportunity for participants to apply what they learned, in-person field days are planned across the State.

On April 30th, the first Backyard Stream Repair Field Day was offered at Ritts Park in Butler, PA, in partnership with the City of Butler and the Butler County Conservation District.

Participants gained hands-on experience with proper tree planting and live staking techniques.

Over 300 live stakes were installed along the banks of the stream and 90 trees were planted in an approximately 0.5-acre riparian area.

Species planted include shagbark hickory, red maple, sugar maple, swamp white oak, pawpaw, persimmon, hemlock, white pine, buttonbush, winterberry, and red osier dogwood.

Many of the native species that were selected will not only provide water quality benefits but will also provide wildlife habitat and eventually fruit and nuts that are edible by wildlife and humans alike.

More information on using native plants and other simple solutions for streambank repair can be found in the publication, Simple Solutions for Your Eroding Backyard Stream .

(Photo: Volunteers plant live stakes at the Backyard Stream Repair Field Day at Ritts Park in Butler.)

(Reprinted from the latest Penn State Extension Watershed Winds newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

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[Posted: May 19, 2021]

5/24/2021