What are Live Stakes?
Live stakes are cuttings taken from dormant, living, water-loving tree or shrub species. These cuttings are planted along eroding streambanks where they will grow into new trees, stabilizing the streambanks with their roots, reducing pollution and creating habitat. 

How Does It Work?

How Does It Benefit Streams?
  • Living, well established and healthy populations of pioneering, water-loving species of trees or shrubs (such as native willows) can be used to harvest cuttings. 
  • During the dormant season in late winter, before plants begin to bud out in the spring, 1-1.5' cuttings of 0.5-1" branches can be taken, with care not to harm the host plants. 
  • These stakes are installed by pushing them 60-80% into the ground along a streambank, where buds in contact with soil grow into new roots, and buds exposed to air will grow into shoots to form leaves and branches in springtime. 
  • The #1 pollutant in Hamilton County streams is sediment, followed by nutrients. This is because nutrients often cling to soil particles, and this is how they get transported into our water.
  • Live stakes grow a large root system help to hold sediment in place on the streambank, slowing or stopping erosion that may have been occuring. 
  • These new independent trees and shrubs will also use nutrients  that are in the water and soil, reducing the amount that gets past them into our streams.
  • Once established, these new mature plants provide habitat for many animals, increasing biodiversity compared to a bare streambank.

Volunteer Opportunities

 Join us to help plant trees along local streambanks! Events are weather dependent and must be done at the end of the dormant season, so typically take place in late February through early March here in SW Ohio.
2025 Live Staking Volunteer Dates 
LIVE STAKE HARVEST
Saturday, February 15
1pm-4pm
Heritage Park
11405 East Miami River Road
Cincinnati, OH 45252
Event hosted by Mill Creek Yacht Club
LIVE STAKE HARVEST
Thursday, February 27
4pm-6pm
Ellis Lake Wetlands
Firebird Drive
West Chester OH 45069
*Rain Date: Thursday, March 13, 4-6pm
Event hosted by Butler Soil and Water Conservation District
LIVE STAKE INSTALL
Sunday, February 16
​1pm-4pm
Evendale Commons (South)
2998 Cunningham Drive
Evendale, OH 45241
Event hosted by Mill Creek Yacht Club
LIVE STAKE INSTALL
Saturday, March 1
​10am-1pm
Twin Creek Preserve
12033 Best Place
Sharonville, OH 45241
Event hosted by Mill Creek Alliance
​​Listed above are events open to the public, there may be other closed events for private groups. Contact us using the form below if you would like to schedule an event with a corporate, church, scout, or other private group.

    Contact us with questions about Live Staking

Live Stake Harvest & Install Instructional Videos

Maybe you have a stream in your back yard that has some erosion, you can try live staking at home! If you don't have a place with permission to harvest stakes, they can also be purchased from various plant vendors. If you harvest your own, be sure your are confident in your plant ID, many harmful invasive species will also take to the live staking process.