Growing Atlantic White Cedars for Wetland Restoration Sites

Reports from the field

About a week after planting, Nick Nelson, lead designer of these restorations at InterFluve messaged me that the tall trees might need staking. I had a ring side view of the problem when I went down to layout Blocks 3 and 4. There was a gentle but constant wind that day which kept the older trees moving back and forth at times almost touching the ground. Nick was right; we needed to stake the trees.

AWC in Block 1 before staking - May 20, 2025 AWC in Block 1 after staking - May 20, 2025

Staking the older trees.

I gathered what I had for bamboo stakes and twine and headed back to the parking area at 170 Hatchville Road. It was Sunday morning so there were no construction vehicles. As I got onto the platform to begin staking, it was immediately apparent that surface water puddles were considerably smaller and the platform was considerably drier than it had been when we planted these trees on April 29. As I staked the tall trees, I noticed that the swaying of the trunk had resulted in the root ball separating from the growing platform at the edges. As I staked, I tried to fill these cavities. What was needed was a strong soaking rain.

The younger trees - troubling signs.

As I staked the older trees, it was evident that the younger trees were also in trouble, but for different reasons. While some of the smaller trees had been laid prone from the winds, their scaly leaves were becoming dehydrated due to the lack of moisture in the air. In discussions that followed, Nick Nelson suggested we hold off planting the smaller trees until the fall. With the emergence of some vegetation, these young trees would have some protection from the sun and reep the benefit of evapo-transpiration from adjacent plants.

Planting update for blocks 3 and 4 coming soon.