Welsh rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd has commissioned consultants to look at ways of making Wales a centre of excellence for willow engineering.
Richards, Moorehead & Laing (RML), which has successfully used live willow in several projects, will report on the potential for using the species in civil engineering developments such as stabilising river banks, roadsides and footpaths.
RML will also conduct a survey of companies already using the technique, which dates back to at least Roman times, and make recommendations for encouraging growers to produce willow as an engineering material, starting with the Cadwyn Clwyd region of Flintshire and Denbighshire.
Its report, to be published in the spring, will provide the first modern guidelines on how engineers can use willow, with advice for farmers and landowners who want to produce it as a commercial crop.
RML managing director Ivor Richards said: “Willow engineering promises cost savings of 50-90% compared with conventional solutions such as sheet piling or concrete and stone walls. It also offers low long-term maintenance, greater aesthetic appeal and greatly reduced environmental impact.”
RML has used live willow to stabilise collapsed river banks in Lancashire and to repair a damaged canal bank and roadway in the Norfolk broads. The technique uses live willow stakes and wands to construct earth-filled barriers, which grow stronger and more stable as roots and branches develop.
