Cottonwood planting set in the Missouri Breaks monument

Press release

The Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument and the Bureau of Land Management have invited people to join the sixth annual cottonwood planting event in the Upper Missouri River Breaks monument.

This year the plantings will take place May 5 and May 12 at Bailey Hazlewood. Volunteers can either camp the night before at Wood Bottom Campground or plan to meet at 9 a.m. on the day of the event at Wood Bottom. 

The cooperative project was started to combat the loss of cottonwood trees within the monument’s ecosystem. Cottonwoods are a keystone species in the Breaks; however, in the past 50 years the rate of cottonwood regeneration has slowed, largely due to a lack of natural flooding events in the Breaks.

The natural reproduction of cottonwoods relies on flooding to spread its seeds for new trees to grow.

In the past five years, the partnership between FMB and the BLM has planted nearly 430 trees at seven sites. This year we will plant 140 young trees at the Bailey Hazlewood site. 

To learn more about how they can participate, people can call Kelsey Anderson at 712-310-1218, or email [email protected]. 

Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.