Front Page › Forums › Club News › General Discussion › Supplemental Willow Improvements on the Little Sandy
- This topic has 4 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 1 day, 8 hours ago by
Crafty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
February 1, 2025 at 5:46 pm #14205
Nature Conservation: preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment and of wildlife.
Conservation is a significant component of the Snake River Preservation Group (SRPG). It is a multifaceted effort including management of the native grassland and Ponderosa forest, wildlife, and stream. The Snake River is certainly not pristine and has been altered through the decades by human settlement, long term cattle use, deforestation by the railroad, and the building of an irrigation dam. But with the current conservation management the SRPG has engaged in several efforts to protect or enhance the stream corridor. The removal of cattle has been one of the most significant actions the ranch has taken in the last 8 years. This has resulted in restoration of the riparian zone vegetation, enhanced bank stability, decreased erosion, less fines and increased gravels in the stream. Overall, this has benefited the stream habitat for trout and other aquatic wildlife.
With the movement of cattle off the stream and relocated to upland water resources (water tanks), we are focusing on stream reaches above the Snake Falls that actually have 100+ years of damage, largely due to cattle. Two of these are the Little Sandy (Cattle) and the Big Sandy (cattle & Sawmill). The Big Sandy was fenced off in 2016 and has improved bank vegetation and stability, although it remains over widened and shallow with excess sediment deposition. The Little Sandy , however, has only been cattle and ATV free for just a few years, at one time looking like the lunar landscape! Today there is some increase in vegetation, but mostly weedy types. There is encroachment of warm season grasses, but often sparse or absent in areas with open bedrock and sand. The old road perpendicular to the stream is largely weedy with poor erosion control and often mats of old straw inhibiting growth. Barriers put down years ago have not been maintained and are now associated with end around erosion and gullies or overfill. The banks are incised with cattle cuts and absent vegetation. Furthermore, cedars predominate, crowding out useful vegetation and contributing to erosion. Thus, the cattle cuts and the poorly vegetated open banks are at high risk for erosion, particularly during high intensity, short duration rainstorms, not to mention any cattle grazing. This reach remains over widened, shallow and subject to sediment deposition.
Last year the SRPG authorized a willow planting project on the Little Sandy along with select cedar cutting on both sides of the banks. At the end of March, I cut 450 willow branches from a source on the Ainsworth Irrigation District site near the Merritt Dam. The cuttings were allowed to soak in 5-gallon buckets of water for 20 days. They were kept in Cabin 6 and ultimately had 4–5-inch roots sprouting from the adventitial buds. During the mid-April work weekend Brad Plantz, Tim Peterson, Gary Craft, Byron McFarland and I accomplished the planting over 2 days. The work focused on the east bank up and downstream of the old road, Additional planting was done upstream on the outer meander just downstream of Stout property. Willows are one of the best tools for quickly stabilizing stream banks and by the end of May, many were sprouting. By July, perhaps 55-65% had 1-2 feet of growth and were doing well. Usually, 50% survival is excellent. The caveat, however, is that it takes about 3-5 years of growth to firmly establish the plants. That is why these areas need to be free of cattle grazing for a limited time. Beavers, elk and deer feed on willows as well, but usually less destructive than the concentrated grazing methods by cattle.
The willows will ultimately provide shade and cooling, habitat for bugs, leaf litter for stream macroinvertebrates, growth of other plants, retard sedimentation with bank building as well as the stabilization previously mentioned. We should be able to narrow the channel, create greater stream depth and permanent understory habitat. Already we are seeing rushes growing in the shallows in effect delineating a potentially narrower stream. The main hole in this reach is now longer, deeper and has side channel plant habitat. There is a single cottonwood that has popped up, perhaps 4 feet tall, now growing on the east bank. We will plant again during the work weekend in 2025 including both willows and a few cottonwood trees. Doing this will allow for both a healthy under- and overstory restoration.
Photos attached
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.February 1, 2025 at 6:50 pm #14217While it is said that you just stick a willow in the ground and it will grow, it is really just not that simple. Fifty percent recruitment is considered a successful benchmark and it takes about 3-5 years to establish a willow plant and only if you plant it under the best of conditions. The cuttings need to be green, undamaged, have sufficient length and allowed to sprout prior to planting. The planting sites are usually located on the outer meanders or on the straight a ways, have a sufficient filtration zone and close to the stream. Thus, it comes down to sufficient soil depth with the cutting placed in the lowest part of the water table estimated for that area. We use a drill powered auger to create a 2-inch diameter hole, place cutting and leaving only 3-4 buds above ground. The hole are back filled with soil/sand.
These photos show a few planted areas when done.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.February 1, 2025 at 8:14 pm #14230A few photos from late summer showing good recruitment of plants, including one 4-5 foot tall cottonwood.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.February 6, 2025 at 7:02 pm #14255When the topic of willows/birch/cottonwood comes up, I get 2 questions. Well, one question and 1 complaint, lol. The complaint is always about anglers getting their backcast caught in them! The question is why plant them when they do take up so much water that fish need? The short answer is that these plants are a vital component to the health of the stream, alluvial groundwater, wildlife and riparian zone.
The “stream and riparian zone” refers to a flowing body of water (the stream) and the land immediately bordering it, characterized by unique vegetation and soil conditions directly influenced by the presence of water, essentially the “stream bank” area; this bordering land is called the riparian zone. The plant life in a riparian zone often includes trees (cottonwoods/birch), shrubs (birch/willows), grasses (native), and sedges specifically adapted to moist soil conditions. Riparian zones play a crucial role in maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems by filtering pollutants, stabilizing stream banks, providing shade to cool water temperatures, and offering habitat for various wildlife. IMPORTANTLY, A riparian zone stores water primarily through its dense vegetation, which acts like a sponge by absorbing surface water through its root systems, allowing it to infiltrate the soil and be held underground, effectively replenishing groundwater and slowly releasing it back into the stream during dry periods; this also helps to stabilize stream banks and prevent erosion, further enhancing water storage capacity.
Most of the Little Sandy has a poor riparian zone. Thin soils and poor vegetation prevent a proper functioning zone. This is where willows and cottonwoods can help to build banks, facilitate root structure to help absorb moisture and stabilize the banks. In high water, generally October through May at least, the bankfull/floodplain water will be absorbed into the riparian zone and maintained as storage water. During June through September as the flows decrease below bankfull, the bank then will slowly release water into the stream potentially buffering the effects of a semi-arid region and drought. Yes, Cottonwoods for example can take up to 150-200 gallons of water per day during growing season and from sunrise to sunset due to high evapotranspiration. However, cottonwoods are important in the cycle between surface (stream) water and alluvial (subsurface) groundwater as the tree utilizes the groundwater particularly during limited surface water supply and quite significantly. As night arrives, the uptake ceases and the groundwater is restored and ready for another day providing a consistent use while helping to maintain the riparian zone, minimum river and alluvial groundwater levels. It can do this because the river bank has good porosity and permeability to maintain this water cycle.
Cottonwood restoration in the Little Sandy may take up some water in the beginning, but in a few years provide a valuable resource in the end, particularly with the weather cycles of late. 10 to 20 in the Little Sandy should not be a cause for concern as that number would be like throwing a deck chair off the Titanic given the length of the Snake River.
Oh, yes, as for that tangled backcast, practice your roll cast!
February 11, 2025 at 11:30 am #14276Thanks for that information Pat. The growth of the willows looks encouraging and I look forward to helping again this year with more planting.
Gary
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.