NORTH CAROLINA -- The Watauga River keeper was on the river Saturday planting trees with volunteers.

  • The river keeper says they used the live staking method to plant the trees
  • They planted 400 trees in the Valle Crucis Park
  • The river keeper plans to plant 5,000 trees along the river by the end of the year

They planted 400 trees in the Valle Crucis Park. 

The river keeper says they used the live staking method to plant the trees.

That process involves taking part of a dormant tree, shaving it down, chopping the end off, and simply sticking it in the ground.

By spring, these sticks will turn into trees.

The river keeper says doing this is essential to providing shade for trout, keeping the water cool, helping failing banks, and keeping flooding down.

The river keeper plans to plant 5,000 trees along the river by the end of the year.