Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
andsurfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
Typically, land is not acquired for forest riparian buffers. The land occupied by the
buffer is usually owned by the farmer or forest owner who manages the adjacent
lands. The main cost associated with forest riparian buffers is the
foregone
income
associated with land that cannot be harvested for forestry or agricultural
purposes.
D
esign
The space required for riparian buffers is proportional to the density of the
stream network
to be buffered and the width of the forest riparian buffer.
Typically, the buffers have a
fixedwidth
, ranging from 2 to 20m. The effective-
ness of a buffer is approximately proportional to its width. Forest riparian buffers
can have synergies with in-stream or in-catchment measures, since they exist at
the interface between terrestrial and aquatic environments.
S
cale
Riparian buffers are most effective at a
small spatial scale and are typically ap-
plied in
headwater areas
(F2) where
the local effects of sediment and nutrient
retention are most pronounced.
Riparian buffers are
tree covered areas alongside streams
and other water bodies. While most commonly associated with set-asides following forest
harvest, riparian buffers can also be found in urban, agricultural and wetland areas. By preserving a relatively undisturbed area adjacent to open water, they can
serve a number of functions related to water quality and flow moderation: taking up excess nutrients, increasing infiltration, slowing water and thus decreasing
sediment inputs to surface waters.
Case studies:
Slowing theFlowatPickering,UK;Dyke relocationon the riverElbenearLenzen,Germany
Treed riparian buffers can also be created in
agricultural or urban areas (see F5, F11,A2).
FORESTRY
©
U
S
D
A
