Buffer Strips

Select Chapter from Table of Contents

  • Introduction
    • The Benefits of Buffers …1
    • Buffers Can’t Do It All …3
    • Using This Book …5
    • Spotlight on the Fisheries Act …6
  • Riparian Zones and the Role of Buffer Strips
    • Cross-Sectional View of a Riparian Zone …8
    • How Water Moves …10
    • Value of Riparian Areas …11
    • Agricultural Practices that Degrade Riparian Areas …13
    • What Buffer Strips Do In and Adjacent to Riparian Areas …13
    • Types of Riparian Areas …19
  • Livestock Grazing Near Water
    • Intensive or High-Density Grazing …35
    • Extensive or Low-Density Grazing …36
    • Risk Assessment for Extensively Pastured Riparian Areas …37
    • What’s Involved in a Grazing Management Plan …40
    • Grazing Near Riparian Areas …43
    • Pasture Management …47
    • Fencing …50
    • Crossings …58
    • Alternative Water Sources …60
    • Non-Fencing Options to Reduce Access …62
  • Establishing and Managing Buffer Strips
    • Function …65
    • Design …67
    • How to Establish a Buffer Strip Project …78
  • Soil and Water Conservation on Adjacent Cropland
    • Soil Management …96
    • Cropland Conservation Practices …97
    • Cropland Conservation Structures …98
    • Nutrient and Pesticide Application on Adjacent Cropland …99
  • Streambanks and Shorelines
    • Know What You’ve Got …103
    • Streambanks …104
    • Shorelines …111
  • Buffer Strips Around Wetlands and Ponds
    • Wetlands …118
    • Ponds …120
    • Functions …121
    • BMPs for Wetland and Pond Buffers …123
  • Natural Existing Riparian Areas
    • Riparian Woodlands …126
    • Riparian Wetlands …130
    • Riparian Meadows …132
  • Case Studies
  • Glossary
  • Legislation