Plains cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) is the dominant tree species along riparian floodplains in eastern Montana, and are significant for their values to wildlife, streambank stability, and riparian ecology. Many older stands of cottonwoods are currently dying out and are not being replaced with new young cottonwoods. This has drawn concern from the public at large. Causes for the lack of regeneration include the lack of significant flooding events, livestock and wildlife browsing, and natural succession.

The Powder River Conservation District in southeast Montana began a pilot project in 1997 to evaluate the effectiveness of ripping existing cottonwood stands to promote sprouting and regeneration as a cost-effective measure to replace older stands. Funding from this project was provided through the Montana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative steering committee and the Montana Audubon Society.

The project design consisted of two separate aged cottonwood stands along the Powder River, one 40 to 60-years-old, and the other 60 to 80-years-old. Part of the stand was ripped in the fall and part was ripped in the spring. Ripping was done using a D-Cat with an 18 inches dual ripper blade.

Results to date show that ripping stands 40 to 60-years-old is effective, while ripping older stands is not. Spring ripping favored fall ripping in both dry and wet years, with three to four times more sprouts. Most sprouts occurred within six inches of the soil surface. So deep ripping was not necessary. Annual precipitation plays a significant roll in the success of sprouting, as trees undergoing moisture stress do not respond as well to treatment. Predation from mice has been severe, even when mesh tubes were used for predation. Future monitoring will evaluate the sprouts after they are two years old to measure the success rate of maturing into trees