TREES FOR A WET SITE

Photo: Hawthorn flowering in May.

Hello. I have a very large garden backing onto a river and would like to plant some trees along the bank. Have you any idea what would survive these conditions? I would prefer it if the trees benefited wildlife in some way and if possible the thinned wood be good for burning as well. Regards BT Buncrana.

REPLY. Getting the correct trees for your site is important if they are to flourish. Alder is a favourite native tree for this type of ground. They can tolerate damp acid, neutral and chalky soils. Their favourite sites are stream sides, damp woods and waterlogged sites. The trees are fast growing and increase soil fertility by fixing nitrogen. The only wet they don’t like is stagnant sites. The trees can be coppiced well. The foliage is rich in insects and the birds like the seeds the trees produce. If you burn the coppiced wood then the firewood value for Alder is fair.

Willow is another native favourite. These produce rapid growth and some of the larger weeping types would look wonderful by the river. They can be coppiced to make your willow screens and prove to be good shelterbelts much the same way that coppiced Hazel is used for cattle. These trees can’t survive permanent water logging so plant them up the bank a bit. The early blossoms are valuable for insects and bees and give excellent nesting cover for the birds. The coppiced wood is very pliable and is widely used. For firewood though it is pretty poor but it is used for biomass fuel, so it can’t be all that bad.



Plant some Ash, Birch, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Hazel and Whitebeam as well as these will survive wet conditions but not quite as successfully as Alder and Willow But they will give you a bit of variation. If you want to go for a non-native tree try Poplar as these can tolerate the wet and they are great for shelterbelts and rich in insects. The wood is of good quality but doesn’t burn well. There are some conifers that would be ideal for the spot too, although they won’t be full of wildlife like the other trees. Plant a few Lodgepole Pine as these will create a fine windbreaks. Sitka Spruce is good for shelter too but prefers grassy to heathery sites. The cones can attract Crossbills but very little else. Both trees produce soft wood that is fair for burning but if it’s anything like the base of our Christmas tree will burn very fast indeed!

Horticultural.