Native Plants for Soil Stabilization

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Planting natives along your stream or wetland, or anywhere on your property, provides many benefits to our natural landscape. This list helps identify native plants that can help stabilize your soil.

 Trees & Shrubs

Red Alder: Deciduous tree; reproduces and spreads rapidly; nitrogen-fixer

Black Cottonwood: Deciduous tree; reproduces and spreads rapidly; high water uptake

Pacific Willow: Deciduous tree; available as a livestake

Scouler Willow: Deciduous shrub or shrubby tree; available as a livestake

Hooker Willow: Deciduous shrub or shrubby tree; available as a livestake

Sitka Willow: Deciduous shrub or shrubby tree; available as a livestake

Red-osier Dogwood: Deciduous shrub; available as a livestake

Pacific Ninebark: Deciduous shrub; available as a livestake; not palatable to beaver

Salmonberry: Deciduous shrub; available as a livestake; not palatable to beaver; spreads to form thickets

Snowberry: Deciduous shrub; not palatable to beaver; spreads to form thickets

Douglas Spirea: Deciduous shrub; not palatable to beaver; spreads aggressively to form thickets

Black Twinberry: Deciduous shrub; not palatable to beaver; occasionally available as livestake

Vine Maple: Deciduous tree or shrub

Nootka Rose: Deciduous shrub; not palatable to beaver; spreads to form thickets

Red Flowering Currant: Deciduous shrub

Serviceberry: Deciduous shrub

Indian Plum: Deciduous shrub

Tall Oregon Grape: Evergreen

Groundcover

Salal: Evergreen, low-growing; spreads

Sword Fern: Evergreen, low-growing

Kinnikinnick: Evergreen, low-growing; spreads

Low Oregon Grape: Evergreen

*Although conifer trees are not generally considered “erosion superstars”, they are an important part of a streamside forest. Planting Western red cedar, Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, shore pine, and other conifer species will provide long-term soil stabilization, enhance the streamside habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and improve water quality. Intersperse these tree species within the planting away from areas of active erosion.