A woody habitat project at Snettisham
A woody habitat project at Snettisham
A new project has been undertaken to restore a section of the River Ingol near to Snettisham. The project’s two main objectives were:
- To enhance the habitat value for groups of fish, aquatic birds and insects.
- To use alder faggots to protect bank erosion from unnatural causes e.g. extreme high flows and water plant removal from banks.
Faggots (bundles of wood and twigs) and woody debris were pinned into the river channel to narrow sections that were over-widened. This has sped up the water flow, thereby keeping the gravel bed clear from silt – important for spawning fish as the deposited eggs will not be smothered.
Volunteers creating faggots
Woody debris construction
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank the generous support of landowners that have allowed this project to happen, along with the dedicated team of helpful volunteers and the Environment Agency, who have played a substantial role in the delivery of this work.
