Cottonwood Restoration Project

In 2011, the National Park Service surveyed vegetation in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. The results showed that cottonwood trees have not been regenerating in many areas of the river’s floodplain for decades, for a number of reasons including changes in the intensity and timing of floods and increased browsing by animals such as deer and beaver.

people walking under a cottonwood tree

Cottonwoods are ecologically valuable for many reasons:

  • preferred nesting tree for bald eagles

  • provide nesting for many birds, including woodpeckers, owls, herons and song birds

  • protect bees with antimicrobial resin

  • facilitate forest succession in floodplains

  • reduce sediment load and erosion in rivers

  • increase water quality

  • shade water and reduce water temperature

  • enhance fish habitat

  • sequester carbon from the atmosphere

  • filter pollutants out of the air

To address this issue, Mississippi Park Connection, together with the National Park Service, spent two years studying to find the best way to plant cottonwood trees in the Mississippi River floodplain.

Here is a summary of our findings:

Project Goals

  • Determine the best way to plant cottonwood trees in the floodplains of the Mississippi River

  • Get a closer look at areas that have successful cottonwood regeneration throughout the corridor

  • Share findings and information with partners and provide them with tools to conduct their own cottonwood plantings

Project Partners

  • City of Saint Paul

  • Minneapolis Park Board

  • Minnesota GreenCorps

  • Three Rivers Park District

  • University of Minnesota

The cottonwood restoration project was funded with support from the Mortenson Foundation and The McKnight Foundation.