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Riparian Buffers-Understanding Agroforestry

Riparian buffers are strips of permanent vegetation alongside streams, lakes, or wetlands that provide both economic and ecological benefits while also posing some challenges and financial costs. Buffers produce income from otherwise marginal farmland, diversify income sources, and protect crops from flooding. They also create wildlife habitat, stabilize erosion, filter nutrients and pollutants from runoff, and corridor for pollinators. However, establishing buffers requires initial investment to take land out of production, with slow returns, and potential tradeoffs between economic and ecological goals. Plant selection, buffer size and shape, and management plans must consider these objectives.

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76 views2 pages

Riparian Buffers-Understanding Agroforestry

Riparian buffers are strips of permanent vegetation alongside streams, lakes, or wetlands that provide both economic and ecological benefits while also posing some challenges and financial costs. Buffers produce income from otherwise marginal farmland, diversify income sources, and protect crops from flooding. They also create wildlife habitat, stabilize erosion, filter nutrients and pollutants from runoff, and corridor for pollinators. However, establishing buffers requires initial investment to take land out of production, with slow returns, and potential tradeoffs between economic and ecological goals. Plant selection, buffer size and shape, and management plans must consider these objectives.

Uploaded by

Alexandra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UNDERSTANDING

AGROFORESTRY
Riparian Buffers
Strips of permanent vegetation
alongside a stream, lake, or wetland.

BENEFITS CHALLENGES
FINANCIAL INVESTMENT requires
farm to take area out of commodity
Economic Ecological crop production. Incorporating
productive tree and shrub crops into
PRODUCES INCOME FROM WILDLIFE HABITAT AND
buffer helps to offset loss in acreage.
MARGINAL FARMLAND by CORRIDORS provide resources for
using resources that are otherwise pollinators and refuge for beneficial POTENTIAL TRADEOFFS: There may
underutilized due to frequent flooding insects that control pests on farm. be trade-offs in performance and/
and poor yields. or cost among designs intended to
EROSION STABILIZATION via above
meet a combination of economic and
DIVERSIFIED INCOME AND FOOD ground foliage and below ground roots
ecological objectives.
SECURITY from trees, shrubs, and that slow run-off, trap sediment, and
other perennial plants that can be prevent channelization of streams. HIGH INITIAL INVESTMENT, SLOW
cultivated as food, fiber, and fodder RETURN: Including crop-producing
FILTERS NUTRIENTS, PESTICIDES,
for sale or subsistence purposes. trees and shrubs can require high
AND SEDIMENT from runoff. Below-
maintenance (pruning, herbivory
PROTECTS CROPS by buffering ground roots can take up excess
prevention, and weed control) in initial
floods. nutrients.
years when there are not yet returns
via harvest.
© 2019 SAVANNA INSTITUTE | INFO@SAVANNAINSTITUTE.ORG
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

Frequently Asked Questions

BUFFER SIZE AND SHAPE? PLANT SELECTION? MANAGEMENT PLAN?


Should be based on intended goals. Buffer must include grasses, • Pre-existing perennial ground
NARROW: stabilize bank and forbs, shrubs, and trees arranged cover should be controlled prior
trap sediment in manner to meet particular to establishment to maximize
objectives. survival.
MEDIUM-WIDTH: enhance
aquatic and terrestrial habitat Plants can include both wild, native • Consider tree tubes and/or fencing
plants, and improved varieties of to protect trees from wildlife
WIDE: filter soluble nutrients food- and fodder-producing species. damage
Improved varieties typically • Consider weed mats, mulch, or
CAN I HARVEST CROPS cost more and require more planted ground cover to control
FROM THE BUFFER? management, but also provide more aggressive vegetation.
potential for future revenue from the
If food- and fodder-producing buffer.
species are included in the buffer, FUNDING AND PLANNING
harvesting those crops can provide For example (see sketch above): ASSISTANCE?
products for personal consumption ZONE 1: native riparian forest Connect with the local conservation
and sale. trees and shrubs. district and extension offices to
If harvesting from a buffer that ZONE 2: improved varieties of learn about federal and state cost-
is part of a government cost- fruit and nut trees and shrubs with share programs such EQIP, CRP,
share program, make sure harvest non-aggressive ground cover. and CSP. These offices can also
complies with program regulations. ZONE 3: native herbaceous provide connections with regional
species, pollinator planting, or consultants and technical service
perennial shrub crop production. providers.

The Savanna Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working This product was developed with support from the Sustainable
to catalyze the development of and adoption of resilient, scalable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded
agroforestry in the Midwest US. We work in collaboration with by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and
farmers and scientists to develop perennial food and fodder crops Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or
within multifunctional systems grounded in ecology and inspired by recommendations expressed within do not necessarily reflect the view
the savanna biome. The Savanna Institute strategically enacts this of the SARE program or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is
mission via research, education, and outreach. an equal opportunity employer.
© 2019 SAVANNA INSTITUTE | INFO@SAVANNAINSTITUTE.ORG

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