Riparian Buffer Restoration Completed Along Tributaries of Cooks Brook

BAKERSFIELD, VT -- The Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District (FCNRCD) has completed a 1.5-acre riparian buffer restoration project along two tributaries to Cooks Brook in the Missisquoi River watershed. The project was funded through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP), via the Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) in its role as the Clean Water Service Provider (CWSP) for the Missisquoi Bay Basin.

The restoration site is situated within a Wetland Protection Zone on property that is conserved with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT). VLT staff identified the project and brought it to FCNRCD. Situated on retired pasture within an impaired watershed, the location represented an important opportunity to improve water quality by reducing phosphorus runoff while also supporting flood resilience, erosion mitigation, carbon sequestration, pollinator habitat, and overall biodiversity.

The project was carried out in partnership with farmer and land steward Rosalie Williams, who welcomed the effort to reestablish native vegetation on her land. Plantings included a diverse mix of bare root trees and shrubs sourced from nurseries in Vermont, New York, and Michigan, in addition to locally harvested willow and alder live stakes collected by FCNRCD staff.

Over the course of two days in April, FCNRCD, and volunteers from Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, and the broader community planted a total of 618 stems and 175 live stakes. Species planted included Red Maple, Tamarack, Red Osier Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, White Pine, and many others.

In May, FCNRCD staff returned to the site to install tree tubes, with assistance from Ben & Jerry’s staff volunteering for the day. In total 239 tubes were installed around trees that were susceptible to damage from deer and voles. The decision to install tree tubes was based on landowner reports of deer pressure in the area, and concern over deer browse.

FCNRCD staff will continue stewarding the site for the next three years to help ensure successful establishment of the trees and shrubs and to support the long-term environmental benefits the project will provide to the Missisquoi Bay watershed.

FCNRCD sincerely thanks all project partners and volunteers whose contributions helped make this restoration effort possible.