More Trees, Clean Water

Restoring and protecting your streamside forests for a cleaner James

Welcome

This educational module will connect you with the resources to secure the many benefits that trees provide for your community and its waterways:

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• reduced stormwater runoff at low cost
• improved air quality
• reduced energy costs for homeowners
• increased property values
• increased academic performance
• and much more.

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A robust partnership of groups is working through the Upper and Middle James Riparian Consortium to add 70,000 acres of new buffers to the James River watershed by 2025. We need your help in this effort to help our communities become healthier, safer, more resilient, and greener.

In this module:

1. Introduction
2. Putting Buffers to Work
3. Case Studies
4. Process and Maintenance
5. What You Can Do
6. Technical and Financial Resources

Why buffers?

We want clean water in the James River today and tomorrow. Where do riparian buffers come in?

Healthy streamside ecosystems create healthy streams. By sharing our expertise and resources to increase awareness and implementation of riparian buffers, we are taking the fastest route to a James River that works for our community and the environment.

What are buffers?

Types of forested buffers

Hardwood

This may be the most common type of forested buffer. It often includes species such as silver maple, red maple, and sycamore, but can also include river birch, black gum, bald cypress or willow. Shrubs can also be included.

Pine

Pine seedlings establish quickly. Since they are less palatable to pests such as voles and deer than hardwood seedlings, they do not require protective tree guards.

Pollinator Friendly

Trees that are great for pollinators include black locust, redbud, black gum and most of the fruit bearing trees. Shrubs include buttonbush, serviceberry, and winterberry.

Food Producing

Buffers can feed your local wildlife or even produce food for yourself. Nut bearing trees include swamp white oak, walnut, and American hazelnut. Fruit bearers include American persimmon, paw paw, red mulberry, black cherry, plum, elderberry, and serviceberry.

Natural Regeneration

Natural succession is the process by which an empty field will eventually turn into a forest. This method is appropriate for locations with a tree seed source, low invasive species impacts, and when you have the patience to let nature take its course. The advantage of natural regeneration is that the trees will be exactly adapted to the site.

Scenic

You can preserve a cherished view by planting redbud, serviceberry, and other small or understory trees that reach a mature height of less than 30’. Shrubs that work well in buffers include silky dogwood and blackhaw viburnum.

Five reasons to put buffers to work for you, your community, and the James:

THE

ECONOMY

HEALTH & SAFETY

YOUR

INFRASTRUCTURE

EDUCATION

COMMUNITY

STEWARDSHIP

The ECONOMY grows with trees

Boost property values

• Homes near forests sell for up to $10,000 more.¹
• Homes in well-treed neighborhoods are valued at 6-9% more than other properties.¹

Support your local recreation industry

• Nationally, outdoor recreation contributes $887 billion in consumer spending and $59.2 billion in state and local taxes.³
• This industry is dependent on natural spaces and good water quality.

Reduce pollution at low cost

• Nationally, trees remove over 650,000 tons of air pollution per year.²
• Trees beside waterways reduce polluted runoff by 30-98%.²

Create green jobs

• The green workforce in the US employs nearly 9.5 million workers.⁴
• Green jobs are supported during buffer design, planting, installation, and maintenance.

Trees support HEALTHY and SAFE communities

THROWING SHADE IN RVA

In some Richmond neighborhoods, extreme heat waves are even hotter. Parking lots, roads, and buildings warm up more than shaded areas and the natural landscapes surrounding the city. Learn more about Richmond’s urban heat island effect in this StoryMap.

Trees are cool

• Trees cool the air by creating shade and releasing cooling water vapor into the air.¹
• They can mitigate urban heat island effects, which can increase the magnitude & duration of heat waves in cities and elevate instances of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and death.

Promote healthy behaviors

• Trees are correlated with reductions in mental fatigue, aggression, gun violence, and domestic violence.²
• Trees can lower societal health care costs due to increased exercise and stress relief.³

Keep roads passable

• Trees reduce flood risks, which can keep water out of roadways.
• Flooding and impassable roads can affect the response time of emergency vehicles, like ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks.
• School buses and local businesses also rely on a passable network of roads.

The roots of green INFRASTRUCTURE

Reduce pollution at low cost

• Trees planted along streams and rivers reduce nitrogen at a cost of $3.10/lb compared to $8.56/lb for wastewater treatment plants².

Slow the flow of stormwater runoff

• Forests help water absorb instead of running off at high speeds.
• Slowing the flow of water reduces erosion as well as flooding risk, which can prevent damage to roads, bridges, public facilities, and private buildings.

GROUNDWORK RVA: GREEN WORKFORCE

Groundwork RVA launched the Green Workforce, a youth-based conservation landscape program, in south Richmond. Youth earn a stipend as they develop landscape conservation skills and work ethics, using the city as their classroom. Today, Green Workforce cares for over 20 sites.

THE ECONOMIC VALUES OF NATURE

In 2015, it was estimated that the trees in Prince George’s County, MD reduce runoff by 4.3 billion gallons per year, saving $12.8 billion annually on stormwater treatment costs.

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Encourage students to branch out with EDUCATION

Trees and nature can improve academic outcomes¹

• Reading, writing, math, science and social studies improvements.
• Enhanced creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.
• Increase in focus and attention and decrease in ADHD symptoms.
• Better engagement and enthusiasm for learning.
• More impulse control and less disruptive behavior.

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Buffer areas also provide field trip destinations and hands-on learning opportunities for students of all ages.

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AT THE RIVER’S EDGE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

At the River’s Edge provides students with interactive, outdoor science and history education opportunities, including lessons about the benefits of riparian buffer zones and a hike in a riparian buffer.

Photo from Friends of the Rappahannock

Take green action with STEWARDSHIP

Trees in the counties that make up the upper and middle James River watershed sequester over 3 million tons of carbon per year, a service valued at $570 million per year².

iTree County Benefits - Albemarle County, VA

iTree calculates that Albemarle’s community trees provide over $38 million in benefits each year, including stormwater reduction, air quality improvements, and carbon dioxide reduction. Use iTree to look up the benefits to your community.

Buffers support a healthy watershed and Chesapeake Bay, which in turn support your community and their favorite species, including pollinators, songbirds, and fish.

of U.S. adults think the federal government is not doing enough to protect water quality¹

68%

think the federal government is not doing enough to reduce the effects of global climate change¹

67%

Case Study: State Farm

The Virginia Department of Corrections State Farm is a working farm along the James River that includes a 200-head dairy operation, 1100-head beef cattle operation, 1200 acres of grain, and a variety of other cropland and processing plants. The conservation plan outlines best management practices like over 100,000 linear feet of fencing to exclude cattle from streams and restoration of over 100 acres of streamside forests and 10 acres of wetlands. Partners include the James River Association, Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Corrections, Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Program, Monacan Soil & Water Conservation District, the Nature Conservancy, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.

A working farm:

200 dairy cows

1100 beef cattle

1200 acres of grain

and more!

BEFORE

AFTER

The Buffering Process

Maintenance

What you can do

Visit the Consortium website to sign up for the monthly newsletter and for more information, advice from experts, events, and funding opportunities.

Resources

• Explore funding programs: https://jamesriverconsortium.org/landowner-resources/funding-programs/
• Learn about the function and value of riparian buffers: http://chesapeakeforestbuffers.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cbp_13019_edited.pdf
• View an illustrated guidebook for planting on Maryland’s shores: https://dnr.maryland.gov/criticalarea/Documents/GreenBook_Buffer.pdf
• Dive into the James River Buffer Program, including program criteria: www.jamesriverbuffers.org
• Get trained or hire a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) at www.cblpro.org
• Find more local callouts and examples here.