Christchurch City Council is set to remove up to 40 ailing willow trees along the banks of Kā Pūtahi Creek in Englefield Reserve and replace them with native trees.

The move is aimed at stabilising the banks and reducing sediment build-up.

The project is a joint initiative between the Council’s Three Waters team and Parks team.

Willow trees are considered a pest tree on waterways as they can proliferate and suppress native plantings and regeneration.

The 40 trees to be removed are all on the left bank of Kā Pūtahi Creek, a tributary of the Styx River and are either unhealthy or structurally unsound.

Around five willows will be retained because they offer benefits such as nesting cavities for wildlife.

Existing native plantings along the bank that are now becoming suppressed by the willow canopy include a number of kahikatea estimated to be more than 15 years old.

“As part of the project we will also be planting approximately 2800 riparian plants along the creek bank, including more than 1000 eco-sourced canopy-forming native trees, which will replace any lost canopy within 20 years,” said Christchurch City Council Community Parks Manager, Al Hardy.

In conjunction with the project, the Styx Living Laboratory Trust is going to plant a 15-20m wide area of low-lying floodplain between the project site and the Englefield Reserve playground.

This area is currently managed as rough-mown grass, however, it is wet throughout the year, making mowing difficult.

The willow removal work will take place over April and May.

Final replanting of the riparian corridor will be completed by June next year.