Open-File Report 2008–1266 PDF (952 kb) Land use and land cover
within riparian areas greatly affect the conditions of adjacent
water features. In particular, riparian forests provide many
environmental benefits, including nutrient uptake, bank
stabilization, steam shading, sediment trapping, aquatic and
terrestrial habitat, and stream organic matter. In contrast,
residential and commercial development and associated
transportation infrastructure increase pollutant and nutrient
loading and change the hydrologic characteristics of the
landscape, thereby affecting both water quality and habitat.
Restoring riparian areas is a popular and cost effective
restoration technique to improve and protect water quality.
Recognizing this, the Chesapeake Executive Council committed to
restoring 10,000 miles of riparian forest buffers throughout the
Chesapeake Bay watershed by the year 2010. In 2006, the
Chesapeake Executive Council further committed to “using the
best available…tools to identify areas where retention and e