2020 Activities | 2021 Activities | 2022 Activities | Get your own red-tip willows

According to the Love Your Lake website, there are six key benefits to maintaining a natural shoreline. They are:

Maintaining Water Quality
Moderating Temperatures
Creating Wildlife Habitat
Mitigating Flood Frequency and Impacts
Reducing Erosion
Maintaining or Increasing Property Values.

Planting native plants in the shoreline area (also called the riparian zone) can help establish a natural shoreline.

2020 Activities

As explained in our October, 2020 newsletter, our Association received approximately 200 red-tip willow rooted cuttings from the Nashwaak Watershed Association in May, 2020. These cuttings, along with an additional 500 willow live stakes, were distributed to approximately 10 of our members for planting on their shorelines. Our experiment was to determine which technique (rooted cuttings or live stakes) worked best. Red-tip willows (Salix eriocephala) were chosen as they have an extensive root system that helps prevent erosion, and are native to New Brunswick.

Fifty rooted cuttings ready to be planted with a large double handful of potting soil in each hole on May 8, 2020. Planting was done in a triangle pattern, with each rooted cutting at one of the three triangle vertices.

A mature red-tip willow on the shore of Grand Lake. They grow up to 4 m in height, and have a multitude of smaller stems branching from the root system, making them resistant to ice damage. They are very different from the much larger weeping willow tree.

The above photo (taken September 24, 2020) shows three rooted cuttings growing well (one is about a metre long) beside (to the right of) a natural clump of red-tip willows.

A **red-tip willow survivor** after severe ice damage during the 2020 spring freshet. This picture was taken Nov. 30, 2020. Note the new reddish growth poking up around large rocks pushed by the spring freshet ice that dislodged parts of the root system.

We learned that the rooted cuttings need lots of water during dry weather, and that they need sun without competition from other plants. One homeowner reported 50% survival of his rooted cuttings. The ones that didn’t make it died due to lack of water during dry weather, and too much competition for sunlight from other plants. Further information on the results of our 2020 shoreline willow planting experiment is in our March 1, 2021 NBETF Report (see pages 6 though 10).

2021 Activities

Mike Thorne, a member of our Association, and a registered professional forester, on his willow plantation with red-tip willow whips harvested on Jan. 23, 2021.

As explained in our April, 2021 newsletter, red-tip willow whips were harvested, cut into 20 cm long cuttings, planted in 40 plant “multipots” and grown inside an Irving Woodlands greenhouse in Sussex to produce rooted cuttings. Our collaboration with Irving Woodlands is further explained in their Feb. 14, 2020 Facebook post. Each multipot holds 40 rooted cuttings, and 50 of these multipots will be made available to our Association members for planting on their shoreline area to help reduce erosion. To reserve your multi-pot, check out the “Get your own red-tip willows” information below.

Red Tip Willows in Greenhouse — Red tip willow rooted cuttings in the Irving Woodlands greenhouse, Apr. 23, 2021, after growing for approximately six weeks.

The above photo was taken April 8, 2021 and shows serious ice damage to the single stem ash tree on the left. The ice has removed the bark, and left the white bare wood exposed. The slender multi-stemmed red-tip willow on the right bends under the ice, and has popped back up after the ice melted.

Red-tip willows bend under ice movement, and suffer less damage compared to other tree species, as shown in the picture below.

Ash tree after ice damage versus red-tip willow damage; picture taken May 5, 2021 after the 2021 spring freshet. Notice that the smaller, multi-stemmed red-tip willow has suffered less damage as it bends under the ice compared to the much stiffer single stemmed ash tree.

Red-tip willows are noted for their extensive root system that helps prevent shoreline gravel, earth and soil from washing away. The above picture taken May 5, 2021 shows a **red-tip willow survivor** from 2020 ice damage that helped keep shoreline material in place during the 2021 freshet.

Our **red-tip willow survivor** on June 28, 2021. This is the same **red-tip willow survivor** shown in the above May 5, 2021 and Nov. 30, 2020 pictures. You can just barely make out the greenish coloured large rock hidden behind the new foliage. Amazing growth in 55 days.

A truck full of red-tip willow rooted cuttings, moving from the greenhouse to Waterborough on May 12, 2021. Almost ready for planting! A huge thanks goes to the Irving Woodlands nursery team in Sussex for their superb job of planting, rooting, and caring for these rooted cuttings for the past eight weeks.

Willows being picked up by members on May 22, 2021.

A multipot of willows planted on a gravelly shoreline on May 22, 2021. Potting soil and a small amount of bone meal were added to each hole, and they were watered well with a watering can after planting. Some members planted without the potting soil, and some even planted two rooted cuttings in one hole. The rooted cuttings need to be watered regularly in dry weather.

Red-tip willow cuttings transplanted into single pots for members who can’t plant in May or June. A special **thank you** to our senior members who volunteered to keep the transplants watered and fed on their property while they grow a bigger root system in their own pot.

A well-rooted red-tip willow transplant ready to be planted; picture taken on July 2, 2021. This transplant was watered and cared for by a senior member volunteer for six weeks growing under tall trees providing shade during most of the day. Thank you!

Our 2021 Riparian Zone Tree Planting Report gives significant additional information on the lessons learned from the 2021 season. We learned not to set transplanted rooted cuttings in full sun, if possible, as the roots are not well enough established to absorb full sun, even when watered regularly. The three pictures below illustrate this issue well.

Transplanted red-tip willow rooted cuttings on May 21, 2021. The transplants are located in a full sun location that is often windy.

Transplant progress… picture taken on June 16, 2021.

Picture taken on July 6, 2021 showing the same transplanted red-tip willow rooted cuttings as in the May 21, 2021 and June 16 pictures, but with almost all leaves dropped.

2022 Activities

In 2022, we offered Association members live stakes, as shown in the picture below.

A bag of 50 live stakes harvested in February, 2022, and kept in a refrigerator to keep them dormant until they could be planted in the spring.

Our planting instructions for live stakes differ from rooted cuttings (see below), and involves soaking the live stakes (after trimming the bottom end) in water in their bag for a day or two before planting. The red-tip willows shown below were planted as live stakes on May 23, 2022 on a shoreline of Grand Lake, with pictures taken 13 days later on June 5, 2022. They are off to a great start!

Native red-tip willow live stake planted May 23, 2022.
Native red-tip willow lives stakes planted on May 23, 2022.
Native red-tip willow live stake planted May 23, 2022.

The key is to get them in the ground as early as possible to take advantage of moisture available in the spring.

Get your own red-tip willows

Our members can get their own red-tip willows (Salix eriocephala) to plant on their shoreline. Note: As of June 19, 2022, our live-stake red-tip willows are all gone for this year. Stay tuned as we expect to have more in early spring, 2023.

Send your name and membership number to [email protected] . We will get back to you with instructions on how to obtain your red-tip willows. Not a member yet? Join us for $10 per person per year by following the instructions on our Membership page. You will receive an acknowledgement of your reservation. We have a limited supply, so get your reservation in early. Both live stake planting instructions and rooted cutting planting instructions are available.

Shoreline Green Zones

2020 Activities

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2022 Activities

Get your own red-tip willows

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