Uploaded March 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Demonstrates how we use the larger creek that runs through the farm to cultivate various types of willow as coppices directly in the creekbed. We have propogated many more stools of these shubby willows all up and down the creek for erosion control and for a biannual harvest of woody biomass. We also have pollarded many mature Black Willow trees to experiment with an alternate willow management technique. Over the last few years the creek has seen a dramatic increase in local beaver activity, and several new dams have been installed on the farm in the last year. The beavers are also actively managing the willow, and they prefer them to grow as coppices vs pollards. I show several pollards that have been cut down and converted by the beavers in to coppices.
I also go into another Permaculture-style plant guild we have been attempting in the creek combining the shrubby willows with planted cuttings of comfrey and horseradish and how these species are thriving together in this semi-wild/semi-cultivated situation providing us with essentially unlimited amounts of both for herbal or culinary use.
Demonstrates how we use the larger creek that runs through the farm to cultivate various types of willow as coppices directly in the creekbed. We have propogated many more stools of these shubby willows all up and down the creek for erosion control and for a biannual harvest of woody biomass. We also have pollarded many mature Black Willow trees to experiment with an alternate willow management technique. Over the last few years the creek has seen a dramatic increase in local beaver activity, and several new dams have been installed on the farm in the last year. The beavers are also actively managing the willow, and they prefer them to grow as coppices vs pollards. I show several pollards that have been cut down and converted by the beavers in to coppices.
I also go into another Permaculture-style plant guild we have been attempting in the creek combining the shrubby willows with planted cuttings of comfrey and horseradish and how these species are thriving together in this semi-wild/semi-cultivated situation providing us with essentially unlimited amounts of both for herbal or culinary use.
