In November 2008 MNV was contracted to carry out some river bank protection works using willow spiling.
The site was at Oatridge College near Edinburgh, an agricultural college where a series of demonstration sites have been constructed showing best practices in footpath and bridge construction, different gates and fences and different ways of managing water.
The section of river bank was immediately upstream of a bridge where the river was undercutting the bank and threatening the bridge foundations.
MNV constructed the bank protection using green willow with approximately 100 x 20mm willow rods and 30 x treated 3m long fence posts driven into the bed of the river. 200 x 4m lengths of willow were then woven into the rods with the ends pushed into the banks. The structure was then back filled to create a live and robust bank protection.
After one winter of heavy rain and floods and another of very low temperatures and snow the willow is now growing strongly. The river bank and bridge are fully protected, the footpath is no longer threatened and the site looks much better.
