Virginia Forestry Department to Plant Riparian Buffers for Landowners for Free, With $700,000 in Third-Year Funding
The Virginia Department of Forestry announced on November 4 the launch of the third year of its Riparian Forests for Landowners program, which plants riparian forest buffers free of charge for landowners near bodies of water, to reduce pollution and improve water quality. This round is funded with $700,000 from the state's Water Quality Improvement Fund and is carried out with nonprofit partners including the James River Association.
Riparian buffers are lines of trees and shrubs planted along waterways that filter nutrients and sediment from runoff and protect water quality. The department said 825 acres of riparian buffers have been installed statewide so far this year, about 150 of them through the landowner program. Interested landowners can fill out a Landowner Interest Form on the department's website; the state covers site planning, planting and one year of maintenance, and participants must agree to keep the area forested for at least 15 years.
This is the program's third consecutive year. The department said riparian buffers help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, provide wildlife habitat and stabilize stream banks. With the new funding in place, the program will continue enrolling landowners and planting across the state.
(Source: WHRO)
Source: WHRO
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：农田与水体之间的护岸林带（美国农业部自然资源保护局资料图，公共领域），经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A riparian forest buffer between farmland and water (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo, public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
