E
cosystem
servicesdelivered
Provisioning
Regulation & maintenance
Cultural
Abiotic
C
ontribution
topolicyobjectives
Water Framework Directive
Floods Directive
Birds & Habitats Directive
2020 Biodiversity Strategy
P
otential
biophysicaleffects
Runoff
Reducing pollution
Soil conservation
Habitat
Climate Change
High
Low
Medium
None
Intact forests can have greater
water holding capacity
than cutover or non forest covered areas. Because of their rougher ground surface, they can
slow runoff
more
effectively than bare ground. However, riparian forest buffers have a limited ability to store and slow terrestrial runoff due to their relatively small breadth.
When operating properly, forest riparian buffers can significantly reduce nitrogen leaching following forest clearcutting and have the potential to contribute to
denitrification
of runoff from adjacent agricultural areas.Well functioning forest riparian buffers can also intercept
pollutants
including sediments, particulate matter and phosphorus associated
with overland flow events, preventing them from reaching streams. Forest riparian buffers are typically applied to water courses often much smaller than WFD water bodies, so
do not have a direct effect onWFD quality status, but can potentially improve the water quality of streams feedingWFD water bodies.
Forest riparian buffers can play an important role in biodiversity preservation, both by direct provision of
riparian habitat
and by providing habitat “
corridors
”. They
contribute to the creation of
aquatic habitat
by moderating the stream temperature regime and by acting as a source of coarse woody debris. Riparian buffers can assist in
preserving spawning habitat for some salmonid species.
