Trees for Streams
NEWS
In May 2024 the WRP worked with 6 landowners and a 4-member youth work crew to plant 4,000 native trees and shrubs along the White River and its tributaries in Bethel, Randolph, Royalton, and Tunbridge. Keep reading for more information about why planting trees along the river protects and improves clean water, habitat, and more!
THANK YOU to our partners that helped plan, fund, and implement these projects: National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, Vermont Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Watersheds United Vermont, Intervale Conservation Nursery, and Pur Projet!
About Trees for Streams
In 2000 the WRP partnered with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to launch a Trees for Streams Program. Through this Program the WRP restores streamside vegetation throughout the watershed by working with local landowners to plant native trees and shrubs along their river banks – at no cost to them. To date the WRP has partnered with more than 210 landowners throughout the watershed to plant over 100,000 trees along the White River and its tributaries!
Why plant trees?
Although 84% of the White River watershed is forested today, much of the land adjacent to streams and rivers has been deforested over the past 200 years to accommodate the development of roads and railways, housing, and farms. The loss of streamside trees and shrubs has a negative impact on the health of the White River. Restoring a 35-foot-wide strip of native trees and shrubs along the river – also called a “buffer” – is essential for clean water and healthy aquatic habitat.
Native buffers filter pollutants from run-off, reduce erosion, provide shade to keep water temperatures cool for fish, ward off non-native invasive plant species, and create corridors for wildlife. Buffers also serve as the first line of defense against flood events and can safeguard property from erosion. The re-establishment of buffers through planting trees is one of the most effective and efficient ways to improve water quality, reduce erosion and flood damage, and maintain healthy fisheries in our watershed.
For more information about riparian buffers, check out these fact sheets for landowners and decision makers.
Get involved
If you own streamside property in the White River watershed that lacks adequate vegetation, please contact us. We would be happy to visit your property, assess your buffer needs, and share more information about our Trees for Streams Program.
Trees for Streams
NEWS
In May 2024 the WRP worked with 6 landowners and a 4-member youth work crew to plant 4,000 native trees and shrubs along the White River and its tributaries in Bethel, Randolph, Royalton, and Tunbridge. Keep reading for more information about why planting trees along the river protects and improves clean water, habitat, and more!
THANK YOU to our partners that helped plan, fund, and implement these projects: National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, Vermont Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Watersheds United Vermont, Intervale Conservation Nursery, and Pur Projet!
About Trees for Streams
In 2000 the WRP partnered with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to launch a Trees for Streams Program. Through this Program the WRP restores streamside vegetation throughout the watershed by working with local landowners to plant native trees and shrubs along their river banks – at no cost to them. To date the WRP has partnered with more than 210 landowners throughout the watershed to plant over 100,000 trees along the White River and its tributaries!
Why plant trees?
Although 84% of the White River watershed is forested today, much of the land adjacent to streams and rivers has been deforested over the past 200 years to accommodate the development of roads and railways, housing, and farms. The loss of streamside trees and shrubs has a negative impact on the health of the White River. Restoring a 35-foot-wide strip of native trees and shrubs along the river – also called a “buffer” – is essential for clean water and healthy aquatic habitat.
Native buffers filter pollutants from run-off, reduce erosion, provide shade to keep water temperatures cool for fish, ward off non-native invasive plant species, and create corridors for wildlife. Buffers also serve as the first line of defense against flood events and can safeguard property from erosion. The re-establishment of buffers through planting trees is one of the most effective and efficient ways to improve water quality, reduce erosion and flood damage, and maintain healthy fisheries in our watershed.
For more information about riparian buffers, check out these fact sheets for landowners and decision makers.
Get involved
If you own streamside property in the White River watershed that lacks adequate vegetation, please contact us. We would be happy to visit your property, assess your buffer needs, and share more information about our Trees for Streams Program.