Since 1969, Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District (Cook SWCD) has been assisting landowners and engaging in a variety of local conservation best management practices. The practices may include shoreline buffers, stream restoration projects, stormwater projects or forestry practices for example. This summer, Conservation Technician, Phil Larson had the opportunity to assist landowners in the Flute Reed River Watershed with the forestry practice of tree planting.

The Flute Reed River is impaired by sediment according to the MPCA and US EPA. The sediment enters the river and tributaries, creating problems for aquatic life in the river. Excess sediment can cause negative effects such as warming the water by absorbing heat, clouding the waters so fish are unable to eat, and macro-invertebrates may be impacted by being unable to breath due to sediment impacting oxygen in the waters or reducing access to food in the water. There are ways to reduce the sediment in the river and work toward long term benefits for both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Overland flow was found to be a contributor to the sediment in the river. To aid in reducing sediment flow and maintaining water quality in the river, tributaries, and lakes in the area and to maintain and improve the forest, an effort was made this summer to plant over 17,000 seedlings in the watershed.

Landowners were invited to sign up for free tree seedlings using an online form that also requested their planting location and to use their time spent planting as financial match for the grant-funded tree giveaway. If desired, Cook SWCD Technician Phil Larson assisted landowners with selecting appropriate tree species and quantities that suited their property. Twenty-four landowners participated in this opportunity to plant the trees on their own. Additional landowners were not able to plant trees but accepted planting on their property by others. Phil was able to work with various volunteers from the area along with crews from Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa (CCMI) to plant 12,000 trees on landowners’ behalf.

The first CCMI crew came at the end of June. A four-person crew worked hard for four days. They faced rocky, hard soil conditions along with heat and biting insects. They planted a variety of trees: American Basswood, Yellow Birch, White Cedar, White Pine, Red Pine, Bur Oak, Red Oak, Swamp White Oak, White Spruce, and Tamarack. Following their departure, SWCD staff and other volunteers came to face rain, hard soils, and biting insects to plant more trees. A second crew of five from CCMI, in partnership with the USFS, came and assisted with planting the remaining trees. It took a little over four weeks to get the trees in the ground. It is hard to calculate the total beneficial impact the plantings will have long term in the watershed for forestry, soil, and water health. Assisting with the reforestation of the area is estimated to provide a minimum of 1 ton/year of a sediment reduction in the watershed.

The success of this project was an effort by all who participated, the CCMI crews, volunteers, and the willing landowners. The SWCD will continue to work with landowners in the watershed to benefit the river and the watershed in its entirety. The project was funded through a Clean Water Fund grant from the Board of Water and Soil Resources.