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I finally saw what 5 years of local tree planting did to my neighborhood creek
I moved to a house near a small creek in Austin back in 2019, and it was basically a muddy ditch with trash in it. Last week, I walked the same stretch and there were actual trees 15 feet tall, with turtles and frogs living in the water. The city and a local group planted native oaks and grasses along the banks to stop erosion. Has anyone else seen a local green project change a place that fast?
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gray_roberts8d agoTop Commenter
My buddy down in San Antonio had the same thing happen with a culvert behind his house. The city put in a rain garden with native plants and within two years the water was clear and he was seeing herons out there. It's wild how fast stuff bounces back when you just give it a little help and leave it alone.
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keithbennett8d ago
Wait, are you sure those were native oaks they planted along the banks? Around here, a lot of the groups that do creek restoration actually use live oaks or bur oaks, but those grow super slow. What you're describing sounds more like a cottonwood or a willow, which can shoot up 5 or 6 feet in a single year. The city's likely tossing in a mix of fast-growing pioneer trees to get shade and roots in quick, then the oaks come in later to take over. Either way, it's great to hear the frogs are back - that's always the first good sign the water's cleaning up.
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