Planting
Interested in doing some planting to help restore riparian health? Here are some tools to help!
Some key principles for planting in riparian areas include:
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Plant native species suited to local riparian conditions.
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Identify and remove invasive plants regularly.
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Maintain dense vegetation buffers along the water’s edge.
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Minimize soil disturbance during planting.
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Avoid using fertilizers and pesticides near water.
Picking Your Plants
Cows and Fish
This coil-bound field guide includes information on identifying some common riparian plants as well as how they link to riparian health and how our management choices change riparian plant communities. $5/copy.
Alberta Invasive Species Counil
If you're adding flowers in a riparian area, this brochure explains which invasive plant species are problematic in Alberta and provides alternative suggestions. This is the updates 2026 version.
Alberta Invasive Species Council
Provides educational guides and identification tools to help people recognize invasive plants and aquatic species in Alberta and understand their impacts. This includes the newest 2026 version and an aquatic invasive guide.​
Alberta Native Plant Council
An interactive map that helps users find native plant suppliers and demonstration sites across Alberta, with details on locations and available species to support restoration and landscaping projects.
Planning & Implementing Your Project
Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society (AWES)
A guide to planning and planting trees, plants and grasses that are a sustainable part of a healthy riparian zone for your shoreline or wetland.
Cows and Fish
This guide helps to successfully restore eroding shorelines or streambanks by using locally sourced native plants and bioengineering techniques that stabilize soil and support long‑term ecosystem health.
Wabamun Watershed Management Council
This guide helps to successfully restore eroding shorelines or streambanks by using locally sourced native plants and bioengineering techniques that stabilize soil and support long‑term ecosystem health.
Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society (AWES)
A practical factsheet that explains how to collect, store, and plant stem cuttings for riparian restoration to stabilize streambanks and improve habitat.
Stream Hanbook
Willow stake planting is a simple, low-cost streambank restoration technique that uses dormant willow cuttings planted into the water table to stabilize erosion, enhance habitat, and improve stream health through natural root growth and vegetation establishment.
There are even more resources to explore that can help your planting projects ->
(nature ID in your yard)
(resources for yards)
(has planting projects)