With all the flooding this past year, it has been heart-wrenching to see the damage caused to our towns and communities. These floods have also illustrated the importance of our restoration projects in protecting against and reducing the damage caused by these floods.
One example of this is the riverbank stabilization and floodplain forest restoration project that we completed in partnership with the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust on their Ammonoosuc River Wildlife Management Area in Lisbon, New Hampshire during 2021-2022.
In this project, we installed root wads (the roots and bottom 20' of large trees) along the river’s edge and lowered and terraced the riverbank behind the root wads. The root wads and terraces served to slow and divert the river’s flow and to give the river more room to spread out during floods.
In addition, we also planted this old hay field with native trees and shrubs (2,182 plants on 6.8 acres). Although still small, these trees and shrubs are already working to hold the soil in place and to trap the sediment, debris (including large trees!), and ice carried by the river during last year’s floods.
Although this is only one small project, implementing these types of restoration projects in critical locations not only protect these specific sites but also prevent sediment, debris, and ice from clogging culverts and bridges and damaging roads, houses, and businesses farther downstream.
Find out more about Connecticut River Conservancy's restoration projects here.