Washington is home to 38 species of willows, including the Hooker’s, Pacific, and Scouler’s willow. They are fast growing and generally prefer wetter soils, making them useful for coastal erosion control and slope stabilization. 

Willows can be planted using cuttings or ‘stakes’. Simply stick a willow branch as thick as your finger and at least a foot long in the ground and it will begin to form roots. As the willows grow, the stakes act as living rebar, knitting the soils together. 

Willows play an integral role within shoreline ecosystems, creating shade for habitat and leaf litter as nutrients. Many species utilize willows as an important food source, while native pollinator bees and insects love their early spring flowers and buds.