Tree & Shrub Species
The tree species planted are an important factor in the health of the ecosystem. Friends of the Winooski River plants trees and shrubs that are native to Vermont. We take care in selecting species that will we expect to thrive on a site, based on numerous factors and many years of experience.
Our staff participate in the Watershed Forestry Partnership, led by Lake Champlain Sea Grant and UVM Extension, where we benefit from the expertise and experience of our colleagues across the state who plant and care for woody vegetation along waterways throughout the state. We learn from research efforts on seed sourcing, site preparation, weed control, and more.
What Factors Affect Survival?
There are many factors that impact plant survival. We do our best to set our plantings up for success, to monitor their survival rates for years after planting, and to invest in maintenance work in the critical early years of establishment. If our plantings do not achieve target survival rates, we often conduct enhancement plantings, adding new plants to sparse areas to ensure the desired density and long-term success of the project.
- Species suitability for the site: we take into consideration the soil type, existing natural communities around the site, how much sunlight the planting area receives, how wet or dry the planting area is, and we choose species that are expected to do well in those conditions
- Health of the plants at the time they were planted
- Weather after the planting: unusually hot and/or dry weather can be challenging for new plantings, and it can be difficult to provide enough water when this does occur
- Competition from other vegetation: as home gardeners know, weeds grow with great vigor, and they can overcrowd and block sunlight from the small trees, so we return to planting sites to clear herbaceous vegetation from around trees
- Wildlife: young trees and shrubs are vulnerable to being eaten by deer, rodents, and beavers, so at some sites, plastic tree tubes or wire cages are placed around new plantings to reduce browsing
Species Commonly Planted:
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- American Elm
- Balsam poplar
- Basswood
- Black cherry
- Black willow
- Boxelder
- Buttonbush
- Chokecherry
- Eastern Cottonwood
- Elderberry
- Hackberry
- Nannyberry
- Paper Birch
- Northern Red Oak
- Quaking Aspen
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- Red Osier Dogwood
- Red Maple
- Shrub Willow
- Silky Dogwood
- Silver Maple
- Speckled Alder
- Swamp White Oak
- Sycamore
- Tamarack
- White Pine
- Winterberry
- Witch-hazel
- Yellow Birch
Where Do We Buy the Plants?
Most of our trees and shrubs have been purchased from Intervale Conservation Nursery in Burlington, Vermont and Coldstream Farm in Michigan, which both grow plant stock specifically for ecological restoration. We also purchase stock from other local nurseries as needed. Lake Champlain Basin Program has been offering seed grants to help new tree nurseries get started growing native species to support our work, and we are excited to welcome new growers to our field.