Riparian Buffers for Water and Stream Protection

1. Riparian Buffers for Water and Stream Protection Hal O. Liechty Arkansas Forest Resources Center School of Forest Resources, UAM liechty@uamont.edu

2. What is a riparian area? • Latin word “riparious”~ belonging to the bank of a river • “The riparian corridor encompasses the stream channel and the portion of the terrestrial landscape from the high water mark toward the uplands….. Naiman et al. 1993 • Stream channel and land that interacts with the stream

3. What is a riparian area? Area within the channel but also land that is flooded outside the channel --Flooded 1 out of 100 years-- --Flooded 2 out of 3 years--

4. What is a riparian area?

5. What is a riparian area?

6. What is a buffer? Buffer “to lesson the shock” & “something that separates two items”—Webster Dictionary Vegetation that separates a field, a managed forest, or an urban development from a stream, lake, etc and reduces the impact of the land management on water quality

7. Separates stream from other landuses Reduces impact of management practices on stream What is a buffer?

8. Separates stream from other landuses What is a buffer? Reduces impact of management practices on stream

9. What is the purpose of a riparian buffer? Moderates Stream Temperature Food for Aquatic Organisms Filter Strip Wildlife Habitat

10. Purpose: Filter Strip Remove nutrients, sediment, chemicals from water before it reaches the stream

11. Purpose: Filter Strip Filters Nutrients and Sediment from Surface Water RIPARIAN BUFFER CROPS Grass Water Table STREAM Subsoil/Bedrock BEDROCK

12. Purpose: Filter Strip Filters Nutrients and Sediment from Surface Water

13. Purpose: Filter Strip Filters Nutrients and Sediment from Surface Water • Grass buffers somewhat more effective than trees • Sediment and phosphorus removal 20-85% • Wider buffers better

14. Purpose: Filter Strip Nutrient and Chemical Uptake Subsurface Water RIPARIAN BUFFER CROPS Grass Water Table STREAM Subsoil/Bedrock BEDROCK

15. Purpose: Filter Strip Nutrient and Chemical Uptake • Trees and grass can absorbs nutrients & contaminates • Long-term storage in trees • Important uptake for phosphorus and nitrogen

16. Purpose: Filter Strip Degradation and Denitrification N2 N2 RIPARIAN BUFFER CROPS Grass N03 NH3 Org N Water Table STREAM Subsoil/Bedrock BEDROCK

17. Purpose: Filter Strip Degradation and Denitrification Source: Mayer et al. 2005, EPA

18. Purpose: Riparian Protection Bank Stabilization Vegetation stabilizes bank maintains stream depth and width

19. Purpose: Riparian Protection Bank Stabilization Removal of vegetation from banks increases sediment in stream and width of stream

20. Purpose: Modification of Stream Climate Shading of Stream Reduces Temperature Removal of vegetation can increase maximum water temperatures 12oF. Retention buffer alters temperature <2o F Corbett et al. 1978

21. Purpose: Modification of Stream Climate Lee and Samuel 1976

22. Purpose: Modification of Stream Climate- - Aquatic Organism

23. Purpose: Modification of Stream Climate- - Aquatic Organism Warm water fish (smallmouth bass, crappie etc.) need temperatures from 65-85oF --DO needsGrowth of juvenile smallmouth bass decline at temperatures>86oFGrowth of mature smallmouth bass decline at temperatures >88.7o F Cold water fish (trout) need temperatures from 45-65oF -- high DO needs.

24. Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat Benthic Invertebrates-Aquatic organisms without backbones Live the majority of their life as larvae and nymphs in the water and only emerge as adults to mate outside the stream (flying stage) Bottom of aquatic food chain

25. Food and Energy for Macroinvertebrates Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat • Leaves and other organic matter source of food for macroinvertebrates: • Shredders • Filter feeders

26. Food and Energy for Macroinvertebrates Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat • 20 to 75% of leaf weight lost in 116 days following input of foliage to stream • Rapid colonization of the leaves by organisms within 21 days of input to stream Petty and Brown 1982 Illinois River

27. Large Woody Debris Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat • Macroinvertebrates cling to large woody debris for protection and stability

28. Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat Large Woody Debris • Macroinvertebrates to cling to large woody debris for protection and stability • Provides diversity in bed structure and stream flow

29. Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat Large Woody Debris • Macroinvertebrates to cling to large woody debris for protection and stability • Provides diversity in bed structure and stream flow • Cover from predators

30. Purpose: Aquatic Organism Habitat Large Woody Debris • Deflects water and creates slack water • Dissipates stream energy protecting stream banks

31. Purpose: Wildlife Habitat http://www.sotir.com/publications/retrofit.html

32. Types of Buffers Forest Buffer Use native trees with multiple values. Typical buffer in managed forests

33. Types of Buffers Grass Buffer Efficient Filter Strip Utilize Native Grass Can Benefit Wildlife

34. Types of Buffers http://www.cayugawatershed.org/Cayuga%20Lake/RPP/caywetrip.htm Three Zone Buffer

35. Types of Buffers Grass Managed Forest Three Zone Buffer Undisturbed Forest http://www.ieaconline.org/

36. Types of Buffers Wildlife Buffer Wildlife Corridor Plant Species Beneficial to Wildlife Wider Buffer

37. Types of Buffers Urban Buffer http://www.crjc.org/riparianbuffers.htm Aesthetics Recreation Greenway

38. Questions?