Streambank Revegetation and Protection: A Guide for Alaska
Streambank Revegetation Zones

Zone Map

This graphic depicts zones of vegetation types that reflect typical moisture regimes along the transition from edges of lakes or rivers to the uplands. When revegetating these shorelines, use undisturbed plant communities for plant suggestions. The following listing provides generalized plant material recommendations for each zone. Many of these species can be found in more than one zone. Commercial availability of species varies.

Zone 1

Hydric soils - relatively slow flowing open water along stream or lakes - emergent vegetation:

  • Water sedge - Carex aquatilis
  • Lyngbyaei sedge - C. Lyngbyaei (brackish water)
  • Bulrush - Schoenoplectus sp., Scirpus microcarpus

Zone 2

Hydric-mesic soils - fluctuating water levels subject to boat or wind driven waves:

  • Egan American Sloughgrass - Beckmannia syzigachne
  • Bluejoint reedgrass - Calamagrostis canadensis
  • Alyeska Polargrass - Arctagostis latifolia
  • Kenai Polargrass - A. latifolia
  • Beach Wildrye - Leymus mollis
  • Norcoast Bering hairgrass - Deschampsia beringensis
  • Nortran tufted hairgrass - D. caespitosa
  • Sweet gale - Myrica gale
  • Sedges - Carex sp.
  • Sandbar willow - Salix interior
  • Feltleaf willow - S. alaxensis
  • Pacific Willow - S. lasiandra
  • Sitka willow - S. sitchensis
  • Thinleaf alder - Alnus tenuifolia ssp. tenuifolia

Zone 3

Hydric-mesic soils - floodway terrace, in addition to Zone 2 plants. Also consider:

  • Red Osier Dogwood - Cornus stolonifera
  • Little Tree Willow - Salix arbusculoides
  • Diamond Leaf Willow - S. planifolia
  • Undergreen Willow - S. commutata

Zone 4

Mesic soils - seasonally variable moisture regimes:

  • Prickly Rose - Rosa acicularis
  • Raspberry - Rubus idaeus
  • Labrador tea - Ledum sp.
  • Dwarf Birch - Betula nana
  • Poplar/Cottonwood - Populus sp.
  • Gruening alpine bluegrass - Poa alpina

Zone 5

Mesic - xeric soils - upland benches:

  • Paper Birch - Betula papyrifera
  • White Spruce - Picea glauca
  • Black Spruce - P. mariana
  • Quaking Aspen - Populus tremuloides
  • Highbush cranberry - Viburnum edule
  • Dwarf dogwood - Cornus canadensis
  • Lingonberry -Vaccinium vitis-idaea