Initial riparian restoration along an urban stream gradient, Onondaga Creek, New York

The purpose of this study was to investigate riparian plant establishment along an urban stream, with the ultimate goal of restoring self-perpetuating native riparian plant communities. Three sites were selected along a rural to urban gradient on Onondaga Creek, near Syracuse, New York, U.S. Plant communities at these sites were dominated by grasses and forbs. Numbers of species of alien plants increased at more urban sites. The riparian seed bank also showed disproportionate dominance by herbaceous plants at all locations surveyed. Seedlings of native riparian trees nonetheless germinated at all sites along the rural to urban gradient. Recruitment of native riparian species (especially Populus deltoides, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Acer negundo) exceeded non-native and invasive ones. While the data in this study do not address survival of seedlings over the long term, they nonetheless suggest system resilience that could be engaged to promote riparian plant restoration.;Keywords: urban stream, riparian, floodplain forest, restoration, seed bank, alien, recruitment, Populus deltoides, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Acer negundo...