Printer-friendlyEnvironment DEC
From the May 2008 issue
Streamside Buffer Plantings In Hudson River Estuary Watershed
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Hudson River Estuary Program's "Trees for Tribs" initiative will be coordinating a number of streamside buffer plantings this spring throughout the Hudson River Estuary watershed. Watershed organizations, land trusts, environmental organizations, municipalities, schools, soil and water conservation districts, private residents and a local farm will be participating and volunteering at 29 different project sites from late April through early June.
Volunteers will plant more than 4,500 native trees and shrubs along more than 15,000 feet of streams and rivers in the Hudson Valley. The "Trees for Tribs" initiative is in its second year and is conducted by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program through a partnership with the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University.
Buffer Benefits
Swift waters can erode and undermine embankments unless stabilized with plantings
Riparian (streamside) buffers are an important aspect of maintaining healthy streams and protecting water quality. These buffers--composed of trees, shrubs and grasses--help to reduce pollution entering waterways by slowing down and filtering stormwater runoff. Buffers also help to reduce flooding and erosion by stabilizing streambanks and absorbing high-velocity flows. In addition, they serve an important role for wildlife as a shoreline transition zone and travel corridor, not to mention buffers increase overall biodiversity and improve in-stream health.
Information about volunteering, other planting projects and applying to the "Trees for Tribs" Program is available by calling Kevin Grieser, Hudson River Estuary Program's Riparian Buffer Coordinator, at 845-256-3145 or by e-mailing him.
