Christchurch field trip a big success
Posted on April 04, 2015
Poplar and Willow nursery managers were hosted by river engineer Dan Harrison, Barry Mathers (nursery manager) and Environment Canterbury staff in Christchurch February 16-17. Visits were made to ECan nursery on the banks of the Waimakariri River and on a field trip to Waimakariri Gorge the group looked at how poplars and willows were used to stabilise and manage water flow in a dynamic river system. It was noted that these trees were able to be cut down and moved from one site to another where they were laid horizontally to create a living wall. The trees soon establish a root system and stabilise their position to resist bank erosion. There is a continual need to carry out this type of activity as each flood can either weaken the protection, change the flow direction or both.