best willow species for spiling

willow spiling has come up a couple of times on the forums before. the main idea is that willows stakes are driven vertically into the ground, then bundles of willow branches are woven between the stakes to form a wall that is then backfilled either by high water dropping sediment or by the folks involved.


(from http://www.willowbankservices.co.uk)

I'm preparing to get started with a fairly large scale spiling project, though execution is likely at least a couple more years off. the first step will be to plant the willows. so I'm wondering what species might be recommended. there will be several terraces, perhaps four or five, as the bank is fairly tall. it could be that more than one species would be best, since the lower levels will be under water for substantially longer than the upper levels. six months-ish at the bottom, versus maybe two or three months in the middle, and maybe a few days at the top.

any tips?

What type?

I would look at willows growing in my region or neighborhood, especially those which, when coppiced will produce a reliable strong flush of young shoots.

Just about any willow will fill the coppice aspect, so the better indigenous strains would seem most promising to me.

Note: I really like that picture. Can you imagine the results? It has me thinking about similar applications here in upper fruitland. The Grand Traverse

there are several native willows growing around here, and some introduced species thriving as well. they're fairly difficult to identify (at least for me), and I believe that some hybridize pretty freely, which complicates things further.

I guess my question is really about flood tolerance. the lowest level will be under water for a good portion of the year, while the upper levels will be under water for less time.

yeah i agree, go with whatever one is growing close by. especially if you can source it right there close.

if you care about the native issue than pick the native ones.

but i would go with whichever local one that has the biggest patch and looks like it could most use a good pruning. especially if theres open land, or a place where this would be acceptable to cut the willows..... someone could welcome you to prune their willows nearby.....then when you need more you can easily go get more from your local spot. or mix it up with a couple of kinds.

i think they are all tolerant of extreme flooding, not just tolerant but actually do best in flooding/overly wet conditions that wouldnt be good for most other plants or trees. i could be wrong not totally sure, but i cant see any of them being bad in that situation, even totally underwater.

i have this thought about black willow, it could be cool for visual effect. but maybe...those get too big and you want more of the short kind.

cool picture, i like it =) its going to be beautiful i am sure.