Aiding Streams with Woody Buffers

Woody vegetation along stream banks provides many benefits, such as holding soil in place, improving fish and wildlife habitat, reducing flooding and removing excess nutrients. If you own streamside property, keep or re-establish trees and shrubs in the area known as the riparian zone.

The size of the riparian zone may vary depending on the size and steepness of the stream. A common definition that can be used to define the size and dimensions of the riparian area is “bank features and vegetation including those surfaces that are inundated or saturated at least annually. (Hupp and Osterkamp 1996).”

To get started, take an inventory of the plants you already have. If possible, remove nvasive species such as purple loosestrife or Japanese knotweed, these should be removed before other buffers are planted. Many invasive plants disperse quickly along stream corridors. Unfortunately, large stands of purple loosestrife and knotweed are difficult to eradicate, especially on stream banks.

For the streamside property owner with a small lot, buffer landscaping and stream bank stabilization must be balanced with water and land access and views. The best options are to use short, native shrubs to stabilize the bank and to leave a buffer of unmowed native grasses and wildflowers between the stream and mowed lawn. They can be planted to still leave views of and access to the creek. You may find you have more to look at as birds and other wildlife is drawn to these more protected areas now rich with berries and shelter.

An excellent resources is a Cooperative Extension publication Landscaping for Erosion Control. It is available free upon request to Watershed Network members and for a $2.00 charge for shipping and handling to others.

For larger properties, a good streamside buffer can be established with three bands of vegetation. Zone 1 is closest to the stream, and should have a minimum width of 15 feet of flood-tolerant trees and shrubs. Some examples of these are willows, dogwood, and viburnum. Zone 2 of vegetation should be 60 feet wide, if possible, and contain a mix of native trees and shrubs. Finally, Zone 3 should be ideally another 20-foot wide buffer of native grasses.

Willow whips and willow wattles can be tools to initially stabilize shorelines with gentle slopes. These shrub willows grow quickly to 12-15 feet, but can be kept cut down to a shorter height. Willow whips are only 12-18 inches height and are pre-rooted. The Watershed Network provides these free each year landowners on streams with public fishing access, thanks to a NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation program. Willow wattles are bundles of longer branches that are tied together and securely staked or buried toward the waters edge.

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