Riparian Forest Buffer

A riparian forest buffer is an area of trees and shrubs located adjacent to streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.

Riparian forest buffers of sufficient width intercept sediment, nutrients, pesticides, and other materials in surface runoff and reduce nutrients and other pollutants in shallow subsurface water flow. Woody vegetation in buffers provides food and cover for wildlife, helps lower water temperatures by shading waterbody, and slows out-of-bank flood flows. In addition, the vegetation closest to the stream or waterbody provides litter fall and large woody debris important to aquatic organisms. Also, the woody roots increase the resistance of streambanks and shorelines to erosion caused by high water flows or waves. Some species established or managed in a riparian forest buffer can be managed to provide timber, wood fiber, and horticultural products.

Where used Buffers are located by permanent or intermittent streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and seeps. Many of these areas have year-round or seasonal beneficial moisture, which allows woody species to establish quickly. A new riparian forest buffer can rapidly benefit a variety of settings, such as cropland, rangeland, forest land, and urban areas. Conservation management system Riparian forest buffers are normally established concurrently with other practices as part of a conservation management system. For example, adjoining streambanks or shorelines must be stabilized before or in conjunction with the establishment of the buffer (streambank and shoreline protection). To maintain proper functioning of a planting, excessive water flows and erosion must be controlled upslope of the riparian forest buffer (filter strip, diversion, critical area planting). New plantings must be protected from grazing during establishment. Wildlife Connecting a buffer with existing perennial vegetation, such as woodlots and woody draws (tree/shrub establishment) or hedgerows (windbreak/shelterbelt establishment), benefits wildlife and aesthetics. Select
species and a planting pattern that benefits the wildlife species of interest. 

Trees in the buffer as well as adjacent forested areas are periodically maintained and harvested (forest stand improvement and forest harvest trails and landings). As the buffer matures, periodic harvesting of some of the trees becomes an important activity for maintaining plant health and buffer function.

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Photo credit: USDA NRCS, Lynn Betts, 2000