The conservation and restoration
of streamside forests in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed
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Chesapeake Bay
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About the Chesapeake Bay Program
partnership that has been leading and directing the restoration
of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983.
The Chesapeake Bay Program partners include the states of
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; the District of
Columbia; the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state
legislative body; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), representing the federal government; and participating
citizen advisory groups.
Since its inception, the Chesapeake Bay Program's highest
priority has been the restoration of the Bay's living resources -
its finfish, shellfish, other aquatic life, Bay grasses, and wildlife.
Although much progress has been achieved, restoration goals
are continually challenged by the needs of a growing human
population. Because of this, the work of the Chesapeake Bay
Program includes a growing emphasis 011 beneficial land use,
such as riparian forest buffers.
Publication prepared by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
Cover photo by Heather Richards, Potomac Conservancy.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a unique regional
Alliance
A
for the
CHESAPEAKE BAY
July 2004
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The conservation and restoration
of streams ide forests in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed
Contents
Introduction...... 1
Functions & Benefits of
Riparian Forest Buffers 2
The Chesapeake Bay
Riparian Forest Initiative 6
Looking Forward 10
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Chesapeake Bay
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The Chesapeake Bay Watershed
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The Chesapeake Bay receives its water from a 64,000 square-mile
drainage basin, or "watershed."
The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes parts of New York,
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
and the entire District of Columbia.
Freshwater from thousands of springs, streams, small
creeks, and rivers flows downstream, eventually
mixing with ocean water to form a remarkable
estuarine system - the largest in the United
States and one of the most productive in
the world. There are more than 200,000
miles of streambanks and shorelines in
the Bay watershed.
The Bay watershed is also home to
approximately 16 million people.
The population will grow to nearly
18 million people by 2020. Informed
land-use decisions are critical in
order to balance human needs
with ecological health.
West
Virginia
New York
Pennsylvania
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Everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed lives just a few minutes from one of the many
streams and rivers that drain into the Bay.
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"It is a beautiful and
delightsome land with
clear rivers and brooks
running into a
faire Bay ... there is
little grass, but for that
which grows in the
marshes, for this
country is completely
overgrown with trees."
— Captain John Smith
1607
FOUR CENTURIES AGO, Europeans arrived on the
shores of the Chesapeake Bay to find a vast forest
covering the land. This forest was an important
regulator of the Bay's environment—a "living filter."
The forest was dense, varied, and filled with wildlife.
Trees lined nearly every stream and shoreline from
the northern boundary, which would become New
York State, to the southern edge, in present-day
Virginia. This landscape was destined for dramatic
change.
In the centuries following European arrival,
agriculture expanded. Towns and cities flourished.
The many demands of a growing population strained
the Bay's resources and depleted its forests. Today, less
than 60 percent of the watershed is forested, and
much of the remaining forest is highly fragmented.
Meanwhile, the population continues to grow, putting
additional development pressure on forestlands.
The decline in forest coverage is related to the
decline of water quality in the Bay itself. The most
critical connection between the two can be found in
"riparian areas"—land that stands at the water's edge.
Riparian lands provide a wealth of ecological
benefits. For example, trees along the shoreline help to
filter pollutants and sediment from runoff and
groundwater before they enter the waterways. Trees
also provide important habitat benefits for aquatic
creatures. Fallen leaves and branches offer food and
riparian area • the land adjacent to a body
of water, such as a stream, river, marsh or shoreline;
forms the transition between the aquatic and
terrestrial environments
shelter, while shade helps to regulate water tempera-
ture and keep oxygen in the water.
When riparian forests help to protect the streams
and rivers in the Bay watershed, these benefits are
realized downstream in the Chesapeake Bay. With
more than 200,000 miles of streambanks and shore-
line in the Bay watershed, riparian forests are vital for
the success of the Bay restoration effort. Without
them, the Bay and its rivers are increasingly suscep-
tible to decline.
Since 1996, the Chesapeake Bay Program has
been actively pursuing the restoration and protection
of riparian forests in the Bay watershed. Working
across state boundaries, this effort has set and achieved
numerous restoration goals and developed innovative
programs providing landowner incentives, outreach,
education and training, and community partnerships.
Maintaining this progress is critical. Today, the Chesa-
peake Bay Program is working toward an expanded set
of goals that will further strengthen the quantity and
quality of forest buffers and help protect Bay re-
sources for future generations.
1
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Filter Pollution
Functions & Benefits of Riparian Forest Buffers
IN RECENT YEARS, scientists in the Chesapeake
Bay region and elsewhere have documented
how riparian forest buffers can help to restore the
Bay. Their research also provides a broader under-
standing of the features that make a forest buffer
most effective.
Riparian forest buffers offer enormous benefits
to life on the land and in the water. These streamside
systems:
Riparian forest buffers capture and filter rain
water and sediment that wash off the land. The
roughness of the vegetation and the forest floor slows
runoff and allows it to infiltrate into the soil, filtering
sediment from the water before it reaches local
In fact, riparian forests can reduce nutrient and
sediment inputs to a water body by 30 to 90 percent.
The capacity of forests to absorb and store runoff
can be 10 to 15 times higher than grass and four
times higher than a plowed field. The wider the
buffer, the more effectively it reduces pollution.
• Filter pollution
• Sustain aquatic habitat
• Stabilize floodplains
• Transform and store nutrients
• Provide shade
• Provide wildlife habitat
There are few restoration initiatives that address
both water quality and habitat needs so directly.
Photo: Mike Land, National Park Service
streams and rivers. Serving as a last "line of defense,"
buffers remove pollutants such as nitrcgen in the
water and phosphorus bound to soil particles.
Transform & Store Nutrients
Riparian forest buffers filter out pollutants before they reach
the stream. The wider the buffer, the more effectively it
reduces pollution.
Fertilizers and other pollutants travel to a
stream through surface and ground water. Riparian
forests act like pumps—taking up water and nutri-
ents through their root system, storing them in the
biomass of the tree, and releasing moisture into
the air.
Streamside forests are also very effective in
capturing and transforming nitrogen and other
pollutants into less harmful forms, mostly due to the
high level of chemical and biological activity in the
wet, organic, carbon-rich soil. Through a process
called "denitrification," soil bacteria convert nitrate
to a harmless nitrcgen gas which is released into the
atmosphere instead of polluting local streams.
no
vegetative
buffer
narrow
vegetative
buffer
2
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Inputs and Outputs of Nutrients
for a Riparian Forest Buffer
Precipitation
Sediment and
Surface runoff
Denitrification
Infiltration & deposition
Local groundwater flow
Flooding
Regional
groundwater
Riparian forest buffers filter, transform, and store nutrients,
while stabilizing floodplains.
Stabilize Floodplains
Healthy, wooded riparian vegetation helps
stabilize streambanks and reduce erosion. The root
system holds soil together, while both the stems and
roots help protect banks by deflecting and reducing
stream flow velocity during floods. Floodplain forests
can lessen effects of flooding downstream.
Provide Shade
Riparian forests benefit fish and other organisms
by improving the quality of nearby waters through
shading. In summer, the leaf canopy helps maintain
cooler, more even temperatures, especially on small
streams. Cooler water reduces stress on fish and other
creatures and holds more oxygen, encouraging the
growth of diatoms, beneficial algae, and aquatic
insects. A few degrees can have a major effect on
water quality and the survival of aquatic organisms.
Sustain Aquatic Habitat
Leaves fall into
buffered streams and
are trapped by woody
debris and rocks.
They provide food
and habitat for
insects,: amphibians,
crustaceans, and
small fish which in
Photo: Chesapeake Bay Program
turn form the food chain for fresh water streams.
Leaf detritus supplies up to 75 percent of the
organic food base in shaded streams. Woody debris
also creates habitat structure and cover for fish and
their food supply. When trees are removed from a
stream, a wide range of species that depend on them
are lost as well. Fish do "grow on trees."
Provide Wildlife Habitat
More than half of all species on earth rely on the
interwoven layers of habitat provided in riparian
areas and the availability of food, water, and diversity
of shelter all within a small area. The zone of transi-
tion from streamside to upland is home to a multitude
of important plant and animal species. In addition to
permanent habitat, continuous stretches of riparian
forest also serve as valuable corridors for migrating
wildlife. These multiple benefits are especially en-
hanced when the forest is composed of native trees
with a diversity of age and species.
Shade provided by riparian forest buffers reduces stream temperatures and enhances aquatic habitat.
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The Three-Zone Riparian Forest Buffer
The three-zone buffer system is a model riparian system designed to achieve better water quality
and protect the stream, along with other landowner objectives. A three-zone riparian forest buffer
may not be necessary or achievable in every setting, but it provides a useful way to understand the
functions and management of a forest buffer system. Riparian buffers wiil vary in character, size,
and effectiveness based on the environmental setting, management, and landowner objectives.
Cropland/
Pastureland/
Developed Areas
For cropland:
sediment,
fertilizer, and
pesticides are
carefully
managed.
For pastures:
fencing, cross-
ings, designed
watering
facilities, and
proper grazing
are practiced.
For developed
areas: sediment
control and
stormwater
management
practices are
used.
Zone 3
GRASS
Zone 2
MANAGED FOREST
Zone 1
UNDISTURBED
FOREST
Supports Zones 1 & 2
Critical to Nutrient Removal
Critical to Habitat
Functions:
Functions:
Functions:
• Controls runoff
• Removes sediment and nutrients
• Provides leaf
• Disperses flow
from runoff and subsurface flows
and wood debris
• Traps sediments
through a number of natural
to the stream
• Filters suspended
processes including filtration,
• Helps maintain
solids
deposition, plant uptake, and
lower water
• Uses/transforms
denitrification
temperature
nutrient runoff
• Stabilizes
streambank
Management:
Management:
Management:
• Periodic harvesting
• Periodic harveting is acceptable
• Tree removal
may be conducted
to remove nutrients sequestered
generally permitted
to control vegetative
in tree stems and branches and
only for
regrowth and
to maintain nutrient uptake
streambank
redistribution of
through vigorous tree growth
stability
sediment build-up
Streambottom/Channel
Woody debris provides fish habitat and
channel structure.
The biological community in healthy forested
streams processes nutrients and other
chemicals within the channel itself, reducing
pollution from upstream.
Forested streams are generally wider than
meadow streams, providing more active
surface area for aquatic life to flourish.
4
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Maximizing the Benefits of a Forest Buffer
LINKING LAND AND WATER, riparian areas serve
as a "circulatory system" for the Chesapeake Bay
watershed. As the natural riparian vegetation in the
Bay region, forests provide a number of benefits to
streams in any location. The more forest cover that
exists in a watershed, the more effective riparian
forests can be. However, the magnitude of benefits
delivered by a riparian forest buffer depends on site-
specific factors. The location, width, and continuity of
buffers set the overall context for effectiveness.
Location of the Buffer
Riparian forest buffers that are planted with
clear outcomes in mind are often the most effective
because the buffer width and planting plan can be
designed in ways that best achieve those objectives.
The following benefits are usually considered in the
process of selecting a targeted buffer location:
• Reducing nitrcgen. Nitrogen is one of the most
damaging pollutants in the Bay. Restoring
riparian forest buffers in areas of high nitrogen
runoff can greatly reduce the quantity of
nitrogen that travels through the buffer and
enters streams and tidal waters.
• Protecting headwater streams. Headwater
streams are the smaller waterways that feed
other streams and rivers. Restoring forest buffers
to the headwaters will send cleaner, cooler water
downstream.
• Improving aquatic habitat. Restoring riparian
forest buffers can launch or complement existing
efforts involving fish passage, stream health, and
other living resource objectives.
• Creating forest corridors. Larger, continuous
forest buffers provide connected habitat for
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. They also en-
hance the ability of species to migrate and to
sustain their overall population. Sometimes
restoring continuity may be as important as
expanding width.
Width of the Buffer
The ideal width for a riparian forest, and the
factors that bring it to full maturity, vary. In general,
wider buffers bring a greater variety of benefits and
Recommended Minimum Buffer Widths to
Achieve Specific Objectives
are more likely to sustain those benefits over time. The
Chesapeake Bay Program recommends minimum
widths of 75 to 150 feet wherever possible, in order to
achieve the widest range of water quality and habitat
objectives. Some site-specific factors that influence
ideal buffer width include:
• Physical characteristics of the site. These could
include soil, slope, stream order, or stream
stability. For example, a wider buffer might be
needed to offset faster runoff from a steep slope,
• The value of the stream being protected. For
example, does the stream provide drinking water
or a high-quality trout fishery?
• Intensity of the neighboring land use. Agricul-
tural land that requires a high level of fertilizer
or pesticides may need a wider buffer than land
with less polluted runoff, such as a pasture or
low-density residential area.
• Landowners' objectives. Establishing a suitable
buffer width must balance restoration objectives
with the needs and interests of the landowner.
• Limitations of an urban site. Existing develop-
ment often limits the width of riparian areas
available for restoration in urban areas. In
addition, stormwater practices may cause runoff
to bypass the buffer. Buffer design should be
integrated with stormwater management prac-
tices to optimize benefits.
5
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The Chesapeake Bay Riparian Forest Initiative
Throughout the Chesapeake bay water-
shed, work has been underway to protect and
restore riparian forest buffers. The Chesapeake Bay
Program launched this initiative in 1994 and cel-
ebrated its success in 2003 by advancing a new,
expanded set of goals for riparian forest buffers.
When the initiative began in 1996, the Chesa-
peake Bay Program set out to restore 2,010 miles of
forest buffers in the Bay watershed by the year 2010.
Facing a formidable challenge at the time, partners in
the program responded with vigor. Maryland, Penn-
sylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the
federal government each pursued this goal by forming
partnerships with landowners, local governments,
and community organizations, and by building new
programs to address the need. Their combined efforts
led to resounding success the goal for 2,010 miles
of forest buffers was met and exceeded eight years
ahead of schedule, spurred by new incentives for
landowners to plant forest buffers.
The Chesapeake
Bay Program
is working to
restore
10,000 miles
of riparian
forest buffers
by 2010.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is widely
recognized as a national leader in restoring
and protecting riparian forest buffers.
In December 2003, the Chesapeake Executive
Council built on this success by issuing a directive for
Expanded Riparian Forest Buffer Goals (Directive No.
03-01). This new directive defines a long-term vision
for forest buffers in the Bay watershed, while also
setting several short-term goals and recommending
policy changes. The new goals include the following:
• Restore at least 10,000 miles of riparian forest
buffers by 2010.
• Ensure that at least 70 percent of streambanks
and shorelines are buffered in the long term.
• Advance efforts to conserve existing forest
buffers.
• Work with at least five jurisdictions per state to
promote urban forests and increase tree canopy.
Raising the Bar
THE 2003 DIRECTIVE RAISES the riparian forest
restoration goal from 2,010 to 10,000 miles by
2010. This five-fold increase represents a commitment
to plant nearly 900 miles of streambanks and shore-
lines in each of the next seven years.
At present, approximately 60 percent of the Bay's
riparian areas are forested. To reach a long-term goal
of 70-percent coverage in the entire watershed, the
Chesapeake Bay Program and its partners will need to
restore at least 30,000 miles of riparian buffers and
conserve all riparian areas that are currently forested.
V?m wm 2002 2005
Chesapeake Executive
Council calls for the first
riparian forest buffer policy
for the Bay watershed.
First goal set: 2,010 miles of
forest buffers to be restored
by 2010.
2010 goal met eight years
early.
Chesapeake Executive
Council sets new goal: 10,000
miles to be restored by 2010.
Photo: A! Todd, US Forest Service
6
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Riparian Forest Buffer Restoration Progress
in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Photo: LandStudies, Inc.
In addition to these goals, the Directive adopts the
following policy recommendations:
• Ensure that adequate technical assistance is
available to landowners and communities.
• Continue the Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Prcgram (CREP), a federal-state partnership that
provides financial incentives for restoring forest
buffers on agricultural land.
• Promote innovative restoration techniques, wider
buffers, maintenance of planted buffers, and
buffer restoration on a range of land uses.
• Strategically target high priority areas for buffer
restoration.
• Expand scientific knowledge on the benefits of
urban tree canopy.
Counting the Miles
Every buffer planting—iarge or smaii—
will help to restore 10,000 buffer miles
in the Chesapeake watershed by 2010.
Any group, organization, or local
government that conducts a buffer
planting should report their work towards
this collective goal by using a simple, on-
line form to describe the iocation of the
buffer, size of the planting, and contact
information.
www.chesapeakebay.net/
riparian.htm
Increased Conservation & Maintenance
TO PROMOTE THE MATURITY and quality of forest
buffers, the 2003 Directive brings new emphasis
to conservation and long-term maintenance.
The rate of loss of riparian forests is currently
unknown. However, the long-term vision of buffering
70 percent of all streams and shorelines with forests
represents a commitment to a net gain and points to a
need for stronger protection. Conserving existing
mature buffers is one sensible strategy towards
achieving this goal.
Maintenance of restored buffers is also critical,
especially for those that are newly planted. Newly
planted buffers require at least seven years before they
begin to provide the same level of benefits expected
from a naturally existing forest. In order to grow and
thrive, trees must survive threats from drought, deer,
voles, beavers, insect pests, invasive plants, lawn
mowers, and people.
Maintenance needs are site specific and may
include thinning, mowing, and weeding. Maintenance
also requires efforts to prevent surface runoff from
forming channels in the buffer area. This ensures that
water remains diffused across the buffer, so that the
forest can absorb and filter it effectively.
7
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A New Focus on
Trees in Urban Areas
MORE THAN 100 ACRES OF FOREST are lost
each day to urban development, further
compromising streams and watersheds under stress.
Studies show that a number of cities have lost more
than 15 to 30 percent of their urban forest canopy in
the last twenty years alone—increasing stormwater
treatment costs and ozone pollution, and diminishing
the beauty and livability of our cities. The 2003
Directive ensures that trees in urban areas will
receive unprecedented attention from Chesapeake Bay
Program partners.
In urban settings, riparian forest buffers are
often removed or constricted by development, and
riparian functions are compromised by stormwater
runoff. Even when buffers are established, the inten-
sity and diversion of stormwater runoff make it much
harder to achieve the levels of benefits possible in
more rural areas.
Nevertheless, trees remain vital to urban ecology.
In urban and suburban areas, ample urban forests can
improve a stream's water quality and condition while
reinforcing buffer functions. Urban trees help reduce
stormwater runoff and encourage infiltration:—
intercepting falling rain, absorbing and storing water,
reducing runoff, protecting soil from erosion, filtering
pollutants, and improving air quality. In addition,
urban forests help make population centers more
desirable, supporting smart growth objectives.
Trees in urban areas, such as these in Pennsylvania,
beautify a community and provide environmental benefits.
Promoting Tree Canopy
"Tree canopy" is the area that, when viewed
from above, is occupied by the leaves and branches of
trees. Tree canopy serves as an indicator of the health
and extent of an urban forest and the benefits it
provides.
The Chesapeake Bay Program has committed to
increasing the amount of tree canopy in urban and
suburban areas by working with at least five local
communities in each state to set and achieve tree
canopy goals for their areas. This new partnership
with communities will:
• Assess tree canopy
• Adopt local goals for tree canopy
• Take steps to increase tree canopy coverage
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Photo: Edward Gilman, University of Florida
9
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Looking Forward
THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM has mobilized
around the riparian forest buffer restoration effort
with extraordinary success. The progress to date is
heartening, but many challenges remain. Participants
in the Chesapeake Bay Prcgram are committed to
using their achievements;, partnerships, and evolving
knowledge as a foundation for continued success.
The 2003 Expanded Riparian Forest Buffer Goals
(Directive No. 03-01) sets forth a number of aggres-
sive goals and policy recommendations. Riparian
forests are also featured prominently in the Tributary
Strategies outlined for many of the region's rivers.
In fact, the Tributary Strategies indicate that still
greater restoration efforts may be needed to avoid
federal regulatory actions to protect water quality.
Together, these documents reinforce the critical role
of the riparian forest buffer initiative and call for the
continuation and advancement of this important
regional effort.
The partnerships that will achieve these goals are
many. Along with the leadership of Maryland, Penn-
sylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and
federal agencies, continued contributions from
citizens and nonprofit organizations are critical.
Many groups''—such as schools, environmental
organizations, sports fishing organizations, outdoor
education centers, civic groups, and others—Will help
to achieve the expanded goal of 10,000 buffer miles
by 2010.
New and broader partnerships will also play an
important role, especially those between public and
private organizations. In addition, policy changes must
be explored to further protect and restore the region's
riparian forests.
Of course, as efforts are directed at creating new
riparian forests, the challenge of conserving and
maintaining existing ones remains critical as well.
Only the combined efforts of both conservation and
restoration will achieve the long-term goal of buffer-
ing 70 percent of all streams and shorelines within
the entire Bay watershed.
Each step towards this goal whether large or
small, or the product of public or private efforts—-
represents progress. In combination, these efforts will
bring the multiple benefits of riparian forests to bear
on countless streams, rivers, and ultimately, the
Chesapeake Bay.
Photo: Heather Richards, Potomac Conservancy
10
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~
For additional information,
please contact:
The Chesapeake Bay Program
410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
(410) 267-5700
1-800-YOUR-BAY
www.chesapeakebay net
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Chesapeake Bay Program
www.chesapeakebay.net
410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
(410) 267-5700
1-800-YOUR-BAY
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