Live Stakes & Other Cutting Materials
Live stakes and other cutting materials provide abundant ecosystem services!
At SNP, we use a lot of live stakes and other cutting materials in our restoration and green stormwater infrastructure plans. Our crews in Portland-Vancouver and Olympia areas are professional and seasoned installers. This webpage aims to answer your live stakes and cuttings questions.
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What are Wild Harvest Live Stakes & Cuttings?
Certain tree and shrub species native to the Pacific Northwest will grow new plants from cut sections of branches planted into moist soil. Wild harvested live stakes and cutting materials (fascines, brush mattresses, etc.) are relatively inexpensive and simple to install-under the right conditions, they are easy and economical to plant. Cuttings root most readily if they are cut and planted in late fall through early spring, when dormant.
Terms Breakdown:
Wild Harvest
Wild harvest refers to materials that are collected from the woods and other natural sites, or not nursery-cultivated.
Live Stakes
Live stakes are one type of cutting material. They are a 2-8 foot long section of tree or shrub stem which is installed vertically into the ground shortly after harvest. This section grows an entire new plant!
Cuttings (Cutting Materials)
There are multiple types of cutting materials. We discuss three here: live stakes, fascines, and brush mattresses.
Where to use Cuttings
Live stakes and cutting materials may be used in a wide variety of habitats and applications, such as:
- Wetlands,
- Flood plains,
- Marine bluffs,
- Stream banks,
- Lake shores,
- Landslides,
- Road slopes, and
- Stormwater detention ponds.
Cuttings are a mainstay for bioengineering techniques, which incorporate live plant materials with other measures for stabilizing soil. Bioengineering techniques include live crib walls, brush mattresses, soil lifts, retaining walls, fascines, rip rap, and gabions.
Types of Cutting Materials
Storing Cuttings Material
Live stakes, brush, and fascines are highly perishable and must be stored in shaded, cool, moist conditions before planting. They should be covered in burlap and thoroughly wetted daily. We recommend storing them in this manner for no longer than two weeks. Sticks stored for longer may have lower success.
Plant Species
Not all tree and shrub species can be installed as live stakes.
In the Pacific Northwest, willow, red-osier dogwood, and black cottonwood are common selections. We advise selecting a handful of species to increase the biodiversity of your project and its likelihood of success. When ordering, you can request specific quantities of each species that best suit the diversity of your project.
Check out our new blog post, Plants for Cutting Materials, on species that can be grown from cuttings! It highlights tried and true plants as well as those that are considered 'experimental'. We have also linked a few studies that compare success among these special plants at the bottom of our post.
Ensuring the Success of Cutting Materials
We recommend that you follow these guidelines for using live stakes and cuttings:
- Install your project October 15th - March 15th (the earlier the better within this time frame)
- Choose appropriate species for your site conditions
- Collect cuttings from healthy plants while dormant
- Store the cuttings for no more than two weeks and keep moist and shaded
- Pre-soak your cuttings: submerge the bottom ends or the entire cuttings in water for 24-48 hours before planting
- Plant cuttings so at least half their length is buried in soil (deeper may be better, as long as a few buds at the top are exposed)
- Monitor the cuttings for watering needs during summer drought-most situations will require some irrigation for the first year or two following installation
Stand back and watch the sticks turn into trees!
Ordering Live Stakes & Cuttings
We recommend custom collected and wild-harvested live stakes and other cuttings.
Place your order at least one month in advance of your planting date to allow for harvest time. Large orders may require more lead time and small orders may be done more quickly.
A typical minimum live stake order quantity is 50 stakes.
Standard live stakes have ½ - 1½ inches diameter and are up to 5' long. Larger material or material that meets tighter specifications are often available for a higher price.
Wild harvest live stakes and cuttings are priced by material type, foot-length, diameter, and species. Provide complete specifications when placing your order or bid request.
SNP No Longer Supplies Cuttings Materials
If you would like to purchase wild-harvest live stakes or other cuttings materials, please visit our friends listed below! Remember, it is important that your cuttings material is harvested from within the same ecoregion (or as local as possible) in which they will be planted. If you are unsure of where to source, inquire at your local university extension office. Read more about ordering cuttings material in the section below.
