When we first started to repair bank erosion sites we had to go looking for enough willow and posts to be able to do the job.
Now thanks to Leys Estate who have supplied surplus willow material to the Don DSFB, we can now undertake larger and more significant sections of the catchment using this technique with excellent materials which would have been considered as waste.
Posts being cut 
Posts cut 
Bundles of willow 
Willow ready to be bundled 
Willow bundles having to be carried across fields when no access to site due to the mud roads
Our first Willow bank site that we undertook was a few years ago on the Howesmill site on the Leochel Burn. So having never done this kind of repairs before it was a bit of a learning curve.
Before Repair 
Before Repair 
During Repair 
After Repair 
Summer in bloom
Once this first job was done we then started to look for other sites that needed done on the River Don catchment area.
Bandalay Burn Before 
Bandalay Burn During 
Bandalay Burn During 
Summer In Bloom 
Summer In Bloom
The Bandalay Burn was another site that needed repaired the photos don’t do it justice as this was a rather long stretch that could have been 3 sites in itself. On this particular site we had some volunteers from the sepa office over to help us for a day.
Sepa Volunteers at Bandalay Burn 
Sepa Volunteers at Bandalay Burn 
Sepa Volunteers at Bandalay Burn 
Sepa Volunteers at Bandalay Burn 
Sepa Volunteers at Bandalay Burn
Another couple of sites that we have done are over on the River Urie at Pitcaple.
Pitcaple Before 
Pitcaple Before 
Posts going in 
Finished weaving 
Summer in bloom
Another site we also did was at Alford.
Alford Before 
Alford Before 
Posts in 
Weaving getting done 
Weaving 
Finished 
Summer Bloom
If anyone would like to volunteer with future willow bank restoration projects across the Don please contact Jim Kerr at the email below to register your interest. Work will commence from February 2021 and volunteering would accommodate government guidance in relation to Covid-19.