News from Skylands CLEAN, Inc.

Skylands CLEAN volunteers plant 300 trees in stream restoration project

A grey gloomy day couldn't dampen spirits of the group that met on Saturday, May 3rd along the West Brook near Snake Den Road in West Milford. While the volunteers enjoyed coffee and donuts, Ross Kushner laid out their task for the morning. They were about to plant 300 tree cuttings along the banks of the West Brook in an effort to restore and stabilize the stream bank. Passaic County replaced the bridge over that portion of Snake Den Road several years ago, but the stream bank was not properly restored after the bridge construction. That stretch of the stream was later severely damaged in Hurricane Floyd.

The project is designed to protect the banks from further erosion in the future. It involved planting 200 willows and 100 osir red dogwoods. As the trees mature, they will also provide shade, keeping water temperatures cool to protect trout that breed in the stream.

“Protecting water quality in our local streams has always been an important part of our mission,” said Robin O’Hearn, Executive Director. “We were very excited to receive a grant from the Watershed Institute to fund this project, which was really a fun and easy way to protect the West Brook, one of the most important streams in our area.”

The planting typically involves small root cuttings, not saplings, so there was no heavy digging involved. The volunteers, armed with waders and hip boots, ventured down the steep slope of the stream and into the water. Another group made fresh cuts on the cuttings, then handed the trees down from the bank to the workers in the water below. In a little over an hour, 300 trees were planted by tucking them securely between rocks in the stream bank. The water was relatively high from spring rains.

"We had a great time doing the planting," said O'Hearn. "And the wonderful thing is, we'll actually see the trees leaf out and grow within a few short weeks."

Many thanks to the volunteers who lent a hand with this important restoration project. Special thanks to Ross Kushner who designed the planting project, and CLEAN's Watershed Ambassador Tracy Margaret who helped organize the event. Pictures of the planting taken by Dave Da Silva are below:

volunteers Robin and amanda

Doug and Dag