Stream Buffers
© Gunpowder State Park, Chase Md.
Question:
Why should I plant a Forest Buffer?
Answer: You are part of a watershed.
The health of your watershed affects
your life every day. Whether you live in the mountains or on the Eastern Shore,
city or county, you need clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing and
many other uses.
Water can be a friend if you enjoy
fishing, boating, swimming or its scenic beauty. Unmanaged, it can also be an
enemy. Dams can only help control floods. Polluted water kills fish, crabs and
other life we depend on. Sediment from erosion clogs streams and smothers plant
and aquatic life that is so important in the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
People living above you in a watershed affect your water. You have a
responsibility to people living below you in a watershed too.
Managing trees and forests can help.
Many reservoirs have large forests surrounding them and are managed for many
purposes. Lumber products, pulp wood used in paper, wildlife habitat,
recreational opportunities, and a quality of water supply all come from a
healthy, managed forest.
So plant a forest buffer along a
stream or river. Forested buffers can play a key role in long term stewardship.
They take time to become established and realize their fullest potential whether
for income or environmental protection. The best time to start is now.
Proper management of trees in a
watershed can significantly improve the quality of Maryland's water.
Foresters from Maryland Forest
Service are available to provide technical assistance.
*Trees for Maryland's Watersheds - DNR
This page was last updated on 01/04/01
