Photo By Michael Maddox | Adam Taylor (left) and Caleb Blair, Rough River Lake park rangers, plant bald cypress...... read more read more
Falls of Rough, Kentucky – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and volunteers took to the banks of Rough River Lake recently to complete a tree planting project that will provide benefits for the area for years to come.
The team of eight planted 490 bald cypress trees around the shoreline of the lake over three nonconsecutive days. The environmental benefits of the new trees may take a few years to show results, but like the trees, those benefits have the potential for real growth.
Lead Park Ranger Adam Warren, Rough River Lake, said the new trees will help the environment in several ways.
“These trees will provide erosion protection around the shoreline of Rough River Lake. Not only will they hold soil that is currently in place, but the root systems and trunks will also act as a barrier by slowing down sediments in the water between the trees and the shoreline,” he said. “This could lead to deposition of sediment between the trees and the shoreline which will possibly help to “rebuild” some shoreline areas.”
Warren added that current pool restrictions have provided the perfect opportunity to complete the project.
“Because Rough River Lake currently has a five-foot pool restriction, we were able to plant these trees below the cut bank where the water would be at the normal recreation pool (Summer pool) level,” he explained. “The current dam remediation project is proposed to last 6-8 years giving these trees time to establish before the water levels go back to normal after the project is completed.”
Some of the trees were planted just on the edge of normal summer pool (elevation 495), and some were planted between the 493 and 495 elevations. The trees that have been planted below normal recreation pool (elevation 495) will be in 2 feet or less of water which will also provide habitat for fisheries.
Warren said the plan is to add pea gravel around some of the trees that will be inundated with normal water levels providing spawning habitat for the fishery.
“Bald cypress trees also grow “knees” from their root systems. These “knees” will also provide additional habitat for fish,” he added.
Warren said this type of tree was selected for specific reasons and the benefits it will provide for the shoreline.
“This kind of tree was chosen because they are very water tolerant and will be able to survive flooding/water fluctuations. These trees can actually live in standing water for some of the year,” he said. “These trees also have a very large root system that will aid in prevented or slowing erosion on the shoreline. These cypress trees are also native to Kentucky, although there are not a lot of them in this area we are in the historical range for these trees.”
This tree planting is just one of several planned for the future.
“Because the lake has been held lower for the past two years, some areas have begun to naturally revegetate with native plants such as smartweed and black willow. We avoided these areas and focused on shoreline areas that were not showing natural revegetation,” Warren said. “Our plan is to continue to plant additional trees, bald cypress as well as other species, over the next several years while the water is being held at a lower level.”
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2024 10:07 |
| Story ID: | 487180 |
| Location: | FALLS OF ROUGH, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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