Native rivercane bamboo emerges as natural flood defense for climate-threatened southeast

A nearly extinct native bamboo species is proving to be a powerful weapon against flooding in the climate-vulnerable American Southeast. Rivercane, which once blanketed waterways from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Mississippi Delta in dense 20-foot-tall stands, is being restored by scientists, tribes, and communities as a natural flood defense system.

The plant’s effectiveness was dramatically demonstrated during a 2024 restoration project in Alabama, where 300 newly planted rivercane stalks survived a 9-foot river rise that could have devastated the eroded streambank. This success story reflects rivercane’s unique flood-fighting abilities: its extensive underground root system, called rhizomes, creates an incredibly strong network that holds soil and streambanks in place even during severe flooding. During Hurricane Helene, waterways lined with rivercane suffered significantly less erosion damage than those without this natural protection.

Once so abundant that horseback riders would detour around impenetrable “canebrakes,” rivercane has lost over 98% of its historical range due to agricultural development and livestock grazing. Only about 12 dense stands remain nationwide. However, a growing “cane renaissance” led by the Rivercane Restoration Alliance is working to bring the plant back through large-scale restoration projects and innovative low-cost propagation methods like the “cane train” technique.

The restoration effort extends beyond flood control, as Native American tribes are reclaiming rivercane’s cultural significance for traditional crafts like basket-making. With $3.8 million in federal funding now supporting rivercane projects across 12 southeastern states, this forgotten plant offers communities a practical, nature-based solution for building resilience against increasingly severe climate-driven floods.