Shoreline Conservation Designing Landscape Buffers for Water Quality

Shoreline Conservation Topics Designing Shoreline Buffers for Water Quality Concepts & Examples Guidelines for Installing a Buffer Maintenance Guidelines Native Plants for Shoreline Buffers

Designing Shoreline Buffers

Design Process Site Analysis Define Goals Accurately Map Existing Site Conditions Develop Schematic Design Refine Design, Select Plants

Concepts and Examples

Guidelines for Installing Buffers

If possible let natural succession take the lead and adjust from there. Handle erosion forces with bio-engineering techniques, when applicable. Minimize ground disturbance, preserve existing root mass. Select plants based upon plant community models.

Cylindrical structures composted of coconut husk fibers bound together with twine woven from coconut material to protect slopes from erosion while trapping sediment which encourages plant growth within the fiber roll. Coconut Fiber Rolls

Alternating layers of plantings and compacted soil with natural or synthetic geo-textile materials wrapped around each soil lift to rebuild and vegetate eroded shoreline. This may be used in conjunction with stone armoring. Vegetated Geogrids

Maintenance Guidelines

Select desired succession level and manage accordingly Keep undesirable trees and shrubs minimized by cut and paint No fertilizers or sprayed herbicides if possible

Native Plants For Shoreline Buffers

Ironweed Veronia noveboracensis

Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis

Joe-Pye-Weed Eupatorium fistulosum

River Oats Chasmanthium latifolium

Switch Grass Panicum virgatum

Narrow Leaved Cattail Typha angustifolia

Blue Flag Iris Iris versicolor

White Top Sedge Rhynchospora colorata

Soft Rush Juncus effusus

Virginia Sweetspire Itea virginica

Summer Sweet Clethra Clethra alnifolia