Solving Erosion Problems with Live Plant Materials
Live Staking and Wattle Fence Demonstration

Purpose: To demonstrate the bioengineering technique of the use of willow and cottonwood cuttings for staking to help shore up sloughing shoreline areas.

Materials:  Aspen, cottonwood, willow and Red Osier Stakes about 4-6 feet long and 1 to 2 inches in diameter, depending on intended use.

 

 

 

Methods: A. Live staking  Cut stakes in the early spring or fall and soak for 24 to 48 hours the shove into a hole in  the ground made with a metal bar leaving 20 to 30 percent of the stake above ground.

 

B. Wattle Fence. Install willow or cotton wood stakes about 1 meter apart along the face of the area to be shorn up.

Fasten long willow stems to the back of the stakes and the backfill with soil from the area.

Intended Outcome: Most of the plantings will form a network of roots helping to reinforce the soil reducing it's tendancy to slump.