Riparian Forest Buffer An agroforestry practice This presentation was developed by the USDA National Agroforestry Center

 Define riparian forest buffer  Describe the benefits and uses  Recognize basic design considerations  Identify potential riparian buffer crops Presentation Objectives 2 Riparian forest buffer

What is Agroforestry? …the intentional combining of agriculture and working trees to create sustainable farming systems. Silvopasture Alley cropping Windbreaks Forest farming Riparianbuffer Riparian buffer 3 Riparian forest buffer

 What: An area of predominantly trees and/or shrubs located adjacent to and up-gradient from watercourses or water bodies  Where: On areas adjacent to permanent or intermittent streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands and areas with ground water recharge that are capable of supporting woody vegetation. Riparian Forest Buff er 4 Riparian forest buffer

Why use Riparian Forest Buffers? 5 Riparian forest buffer

 Create shade to lower water temperatures to improve habitat for cold water aquatic organisms  Provide a source of detritus and large woody debris for aquatic and terrestrial organisms  Create wildlife habitat and establish wildlife corridors  Restore natural riparian plant communities  Reduce excess amounts of sediment, organic material, nutrients and pesticides in surface runoff and reduce excess nutrients and other chemicals in shallow ground water flow  Provide a harvestable crop of timber, fiber, forage, fruit, or other crops consistent with other intended purposes.  Provide floodplain protection  Increase carbon storage Use Riparian Forest Buffers to: 6 *Source: NRCS National Standard 391 Riparian forest buffer

Riparian Forest Buffer Canopy cover and vertical vegetative structure from established plants Wood fiber in established plants Woody plant root systems of established plants (+) Trapping of sediment and sediment- attached pollutants (+) Uptake of soil nutrients during growing season (+) Infiltration of precipitation and soil storage (-) Streambank erosion and sedimentation (+) Denitrification of soil nitrates (+) Carbon storage (-) Crop production (non-woody) (-) Crop business and support infrastructure (+) Quality of receiving waters (+) Income and income stability (individuals and community) (-) Atmospheric CO2 and greenhouse effect (+) Wood- forest business and support infrastructure (+) Shade (+) Arboreal and understory habitat (+) Aesthetics (-) Stream water temperature I (+) Forest and forest edge wildlife (+) Recreation opportunities (+) Stream fauna, e.g., fish, invertebrates (+) Recreation business and support infrastructure (-) Income and income stability (individuals and community) (-) Non-woody agricultural land Start Initial Setting: Former riparian forests and habitat used for forage, cropland, speculation property, or other non-forest use. Includes cutover riparian zones within forested areas. (+) Aquatic health for humans, domestic and wild animals; reduced costs (+) Wood fiber growth rate (-) Later wood fiber growth rate Periodic tree removal Harvested wood fiber (manufactured wood products) and other tree/understory- related products (+) Landowner income; contractor income LEGEND Created by practice Direct effect Indirect effect Cumulative effect pathway (+) increase; (-) decrease Associated treatment (+) Detritus and large woody debris in streams (+) Leaf/debris fall and woody plant mortality What are the Effects of Riparian Forest Buffers? 7 Riparian forest buffer

Design Considerations 8  Three-zone buffer system  Buffer widths and zones influence use and functionality  Minimum zone widths will vary by region Riparian forest buffer

 Location  Species  Height  Density  Length  Management and use  Operation and maintenance Other Design Considerations 9 Riparian forest buffer

Table. Proportion of National Stream and River Mileage in Headwater Streams (Leopold, Wolman, Miller, 1964) Stream Order*Number of Streams Total Length of Streams (miles) Mean Drainage Area (square miles)** 11,570, ,000810, ,000420, ,000220, ,200116, ,0002, ,00011, ,00055, ,200264, ,8001,250,000 Total2,023,4003,250,000N/A *stream order based on Strahler (1957) method, analyzing maps at a scale of 1:24,000 **cumulative drainage area, including tributaries 10 Riparian forest buffer

 Sun angle will vary by season, latitude and, of course, by time of day.  Understand what is happening at the site and plan accordingly.  In mountainous terrain, elevation and topographic shading can influence layout. Create Shade 11 Riparian forest buffer

 Detritus and large debris are particularly important for lower order stream/riparian food chains and downstream effects on higher order streams.  Placement in close proximity to the stream or water body insures that some leaf drop, twigs, and other detritus (and eventually large woody debris) enters the aquatic system. Provide detritus and woody debris 12 Riparian forest buffer

Create wildlife habitat 13 Riparian forest buffer  Use widths to match desired conditions  The value of riparian habitat is greatly increased if adjacent upland habitat is created and complementary  Natural mortality can increase habitat diversity and mimic natural development  Full site functionality takes time

 Wildlife usually benefit most from a mosaic of natural plant communities  Connect fragmented riparian forests.  Isolated patches or short strips may be poorly utilized or act as a magnet for predators  Use native species where ever possible Restore natural plant communities 14 Riparian forest buffer

 Understand the origin and boundaries of the source contaminants and locate the buffer down-gradient from them.  Contaminants (sediment, chemicals, etc.) may be transported by surface sheet or concentrated flows or by subsurface flows.  Subsurface flows in many settings bypass riparian buffer root systems Reduce excess contaminants 15 Riparian forest buffer

Provide harvestable crops  Marketable products depend on current and future demand.  Potential products: › wood (sawlogs, post, poles, veneer) › fiber (pulp, firewood, energy biomass) › forage (livestock) › fruit (nuts, berries) › other crops (ginseng, mushrooms, herbs and floral greenery, etc.) 16 Riparian forest buffer

 Riparian buffers reduce floodwater velocity and erosive power  Stream debris is blocked from entering cropland, grassland, and urban lands  Roots hold stream banks and keep the soil in place  Peak storm flows may be reduced, lowering flooding levels Provide floodplain protection 17 Riparian forest buffer

 Riparian buffers are effective at storing carbon  Trees grow rapidly in riparian zones due to favorable moisture and nutrient conditions  Net carbon benefits are realized if the wood fiber is used for solid wood products or fuel Increase carbon storage 18 Riparian forest buffer

 Riparian forest buffers provide many benefits and their effects are far reaching  Determine the desired purposes and design to optimize those purposes  Many purposes are partly achieved just by virtue of installing the buffer (carbon storage, contaminant reduction, wildlife habitat, detritus)  Use native species where ever possible unless product- required species are needed to achieve a specific purpose…or if adequate native stock is not available Summary 19 Riparian forest buffer

For Additional Information A number of web sites are available to provide more detailed information on riparian forest buffers. Here are a few:  USDA National Agroforestry Center  The Center for Agroforestry  Association for Temperate Agroforestry  USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Riparian forest buffer

Acknowledgements This presentation was developed by the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC), Lincoln NE. NAC is a USDA partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C or call (202) (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer." "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C or call (202) (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer." National Agroforestry Center A partnership of: 21