COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF , LEXINGTON, KY, 40546

FOR-112

Agroforestry Strips Deborah B. Hill, Department of

iparian buffer strips are zones of native , Rshrubs, and grasses designed to protect the tem- perature and clarity of moving water and to prevent agricultural chemicals and soil from eroding directly into stream water. The Kentucky Act of 1994 encouraged farmers to protect their streams from soil and compaction from livestock. Best management practices (BMPs) for people who are harvesting timber require streamside management zones (SMZs). A classic riparian buffer strip is fairly wide (the USDA/ Service recommends a total of 66 feet) with

1 is directly next to the water and consists of native supply food and cover for . In addition, they riverbankthree distinct bands species or zones such (seeas sycamore figure page (Platanus 2). Zone americana), river birch (Betula lenta), native poplars species and potentially can generate income from har- (Populus species, not tulip-poplar), red maple (Acer vestedimprove timber aquatic and non-timber for forest fish and products. other Anotheraquatic rubrum), or willows (Salix spp.) and tree species that important role of riparian buffer strips is to mitigate are able to become established and grow rapidly. Zone 1 should be left as undisturbed as possible, although if When selecting species for the different zones, choose the landowner selects tree species that can be coppiced damage or protect agricultural fields from flooding. (ones that readily resprout when cut), there is potential tree species for the streamside zone that are water for some utilization of the tree species at a later time. -

Zone 2 is farther away from the water and consists becauseloving and these flood species resistant. will Itbe is located not necessary farther tofrom se of native shrub species. Depending on whether the thelect watershrub than species the fortree Zone zone. 2 Asthat with are all flood resistant landowner would like some type of non-timber forest systems, when one is mixing tree, shrub, and herba- ceous species, it is important to be sure the species would be aesthetically pleasing, a mixture of shrubs chosen are compatible with one another and that product to sell or would like flowering species that could be planted, including, for example, dogwoods whatever and/or biocides needed will be (Cornus spp.) and corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana tolerated by all species involved. Since the purpose of ‘Tortuosa’). the riparian buffer strip is to protect the stream and Zone 3 is the most interior of the three zones and consists of native grasses and forbs. This too, once established, could be mowed for a or as forage forfilter tree unwanted species and materials, 3 to 4 feet the apart spacing for shrub of both species. trees for livestock but should be left undisturbed until it is Theand shrubsherbaceous should layer be relatively of grasses tight―6 and forbs to 8 shouldfeet apart be fully established. seeded densely. Consider, especially if the stream banks are both protection of water quality. However, they also con- steep and susceptible to erosion, whether special trolThe surfacemost obvious runoff benefitand soil of erosion, riparian stabilize buffer stripseroding is bioengineering of the banks is necessary, involving stream banks, and, depending on species selected, such things as geotextiles, rip-rap, gabions, or fascines

Agriculture and Natural Resources • Family and Consumer Sciences • 4-H Youth Development • Community and Leadership Development EXTENSION A classic riparian buffer with three distinct bands or zones.

(bundled fresh-cut branches tied together and placed If a landowner has only forest land and is considering parallel to the stream to form “logs” that can be buried a timber harvest at some time in the near future, the forested area closest to the streams could be managed along the same lines as a riparian buffer strip and have and may sprout new growth to resist stream flow). If shrubs and/or grasses interplanted among existing agricultural fields near the stream have been tiled, trees to protect the streams during the harvesting Once established, riparian buffer strips should begin do not tree species near the tiles―grasses only! operation. to take on the appearance of a natural forest. Loss of income from land taken out of agricultural produc- tion to establish such buffer strips should eventually Agroforestry in Kentucky be offset by products that can be harvested from the strips themselves. Also, agricultural will not Alley Cropping (FOR-111) Riparian Buffer Strips (FOR-112) establishment of the riparian buffer strip, and loss of Silvopasture (FOR-113) incomesuffer from for agriculturalflooding as theycrops might will behave less prior than to they the (FOR-114) might have been before the establishment of the buf- (FOR-115) fer strip. http://dept.ca.uky.edu/agc/pub-dept.asp?dept=Forestry

Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, M. Scott Smith, Director, Land Grant Programs, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Lexington, and Kentucky State University, Frankfort. Copyright © 2009 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for edu- cational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu.

Issued 8-2009