From Seed to Floodplain: Scaling Riparian Restoration Through Local Seed Sourcing, Drought-Adaptive Planting, Remote Sensing, and Private Landowner Engagement in Central Texas
Marina Weikel Ramirez, Reforestation and GIS Manager
TreeFolks, Austin TX
How do you scale riparian restoration in a state where more than 94% of land is privately owned? This poster presents TreeFolks' integrated, community-driven approach to floodplain reforestation in Central Texas, from locally sourced seed to long-term canopy monitoring, and the practical innovations that have made it possible to plant 347,739 native trees across 437.74 acres of degraded riparian systems since 2019.
We describe three key elements of our restoration model: (1) an in-house nursery program growing volunteer-collected, locally sourced seed that expanded from 16.1% to 61.9% of all planted stock in just two seasons, producing 33 species including many unavailable from commercial growers; (2) the use of Groasis Waterboxxes and Telescoprotexx browse-protection tubes, which increased post-planting survival from roughly 25% to 67% during severe drought without supplemental irrigation; and (3) a long-term monitoring framework using high-resolution commercial satellite imagery (~0.3m) at baseline and years 4, 6, 14, and 26.
We also introduce "Rooted Recovery," TreeFolks' emerging post-flood restoration initiative, which uses NOAA Emergency Response Imagery (0.075m) to identify and engage priority private landowners along Cow Creek, Sandy Creek, and the San Gabriel River following severe flooding in July 2025. This poster offers a replicable framework for practitioners working to build locally adapted, landowner-centered restoration programs at scale.