19/05/2026
The cottonwoods are snowing again!!!
Across the Kettle and Granby valleys, the air is filling with drifting white fluff from Black Cottonwood trees. While it may look like summer snow, each tiny tuft carries a seed — and each seed is an opportunity for new life along our rivers and creeks.
Cottonwoods time their seed release with spring freshet. As water levels drop, fresh moist sediments are exposed along riverbanks and gravel bars, creating the perfect conditions for seedlings to germinate. These trees are ecological giants — shading streams for fish, stabilizing banks, supporting birds, bats, insects, and helping shape healthy riparian ecosystems.
In many places today, cottonwood regeneration is becoming more difficult. Rivers have been altered, banks stabilized, floodplains disconnected, and young seedlings are often heavily browsed or trampled before they can establish.
Through the Granby Wilderness Society’s cottonwood restoration work, we are helping support the next generation of riparian forests by protecting young growth, supporting natural regeneration, and restoring healthier river processes where possible. Landowners can help too by watching for natural cottonwood recruitment on their own properties and giving young seedlings a chance — protecting moist soils, reducing trampling and mowing near river edges, and allowing a little room for nature to regenerate
Reach out if you have questions about riparian stewardship, cottonwood restoration, or supporting native vegetation on your land.
