Planting on cliffs can only be done by expert horticultural abseiling experts. One of the services we provide at Pro Climb – Pro Climb is horticultural abseiling. Horticultural abseiling involves planting and managing vegetation in hard to reach places such as steep banks and cliffs. This Blog post will discuss some of the reasons why it is necessary to plant on cliff sides and provide information for anyone who is considering having this type of work carried out.
Plants come in many different forms and provide a range of functions.
Due to the variety of foliage, fruits, flowers and wood, it is often only the aboveground portion of the plant that we consider. However, there is much that happens under the ground. One of the many functions of plant roots is ground stabilisation. By forming a fibrous web, roots bind soil, rock and organic material together so that they can create and environment for the plant to grow in. Without this function the plant may blow away in the wind or the earth be washed away in the rain. When many plants grow in close proximity to each other their root systems can form a spreading mat that can help to bind large amounts of ground material together.
This stabilising, binding quality of plant roots is vitally important when it comes to holding cliffs and banks together. Due to their steep and often exposed slopes, cliffs and banks can be easily eroded by the weather. This can become a problem if at the top or bottom of the cliff is your house. Plants can be both friend and foe in this situation.
When it comes to vegetation on slopes it is important that you have the right kind of vegetation. All plants have roots which help to bind the soil but we need to come back to the above ground portion of the plant again. On a bank you basically want to maximise the root area whilst minimising the height of the above ground plant. Foliage is important in intercepting rain fall and reducing its weathering effects on bare earth. Accurate assessment of your individual site will determine which vegetation should be retained and what should be replaced.
Tree work and planting on cliffs is specialist work.
It is important to use suitably qualified and experienced professionals. The sites tend to be more complex and robust rescue plans need to be in places should the unexpected occur. You also want to be sure that whoever you use to carry out the work is taking measures to ensure that any people or property near the work zone are adequately protected throughout.
A link to our horticultural abseiling page can be found here:
https://www.proclimb.co.nz/horticultural-abseiling-tree-climbing-services/
Indigenous terrestrial and wetland ecosystems of Auckland.pdf
https://www.knowledgeauckland.org.nz/assets/publications/Indigenous-terrestrial-and-wetland-ecosystems-of-Auckland-2017.pdf
Contact Pro Climb Arborists for Planting on cliffs
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