Read Related Content On East Coast Buffer Trees Here
- 4 Ways Local Stream Health Can Benefit You
- Benefit from Streamside Buffers
For farmers, water can be both a friend and a foe. Factors such as weather patterns and surrounding land use can cause flooding and erosion that impacts crops, wildlife and the overall habitat. That’s why streamside buffers are an important natural protector, one that provides multiple benefits both now and into the future.
What is a streamside buffer?
A streamside buffer is an intentional planting of trees and shrubs along a waterway to protect it from erosion and pollution. These plantings create a safeguard between the water and upland habitats like farm fields. A link between land and water, they become a “living filter” for surface and subsurface water leaving upslope areas.
What a tree buffer can do
Streamside buffers protect local waterways from nutrient runoff from farm fields. They provide a cost-effective solution that can:
- Reduce flooding to protect crops
- Prevent erosion as roots hold streambanks in place
- Reduce water runoff and allow water to seep into the ground
- Improve the quality of life for aquatic and land animals
- Provide additional revenue through products harvested from the buffer zone
What farmers can do
Tree buffers have the potential to benefit your operation well into the future.
To get started:
- Meet with a local expert who can help you discuss options that fit your operation
- Ensure at least 35 feet of space between the high-water line and your farm field edge
Streamside buffers are a natural way to protect and enhance your farmland and the greater Chesapeake Bay area.
Support and funding opportunities make installing a streamside buffer easy. To learn more, sign up below.
Read Related Content On East Coast Buffer Trees Here
- 4 Ways Local Stream Health Can Benefit You
- Benefit from Streamside Buffers
