Backyard Buffers

Backyard

Buffers

Protecting Habitat and

Water Quality

What is a buffer?

A buffer (also called a riparian buffer area or zone) is the strip of natural vegetation

along the bank of a stream, lake or other water body that separates the water from

developed areas such as lawns, buildings, roads, driveways, etc. Buffers can

include grass, shrubs, and trees, which hold the soil in place and act as living

filters of pollution. Without buffers, homes and residential neighborhoods can

contribute sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, metals, oil and other vehicle fluids, pet

waste and many other pollutants to nearby waters. Buffers also help prevent property

loss due to erosion.

If you have a stream, lake or other water body on your property, there are many

reasons to protect, preserve, and enhance the buffer zone around it. Buffers are

critical on all streams. Many residential areas are built around small streams

which feed larger streams and rivers and eventually reach drinking water intakes.

Preserving buffers on streams of all sizes not only protects these surface waters

but also allows water to percolate through the soil and replenish groundwater.

What are the state and local buffer requirements?

Georgia has a number of laws and regulations that apply to buffer zones, so the

required minimum buffer width on your property can vary. The Georgia Erosion

and Sedimentation Control Act restricts land disturbance and trimming of vegetation

within a 25 foot buffer adjacent to creeks, streams, rivers, saltwater marshes, and

most lakes and ponds, and within a 50 foot buffer on trout streams. Homeowners

may not cause any significant land disturbance within this buffer without a variance,

but may thin or trim vegetation so long as water quality and aquatic habitat are

protected and a natural canopy is left in sufficient quantity to provide shade on the

stream bed.

The Mountain and River Corridors Protection Act and the Georgia Planning Act require

some local governments to adopt a 100 foot buffer and restrict certain land uses

along various large river corridors in the state. Water supply reservoirs, streams that

flow into reservoirs, and streams above drinking water intakes may also require

wider buffer zones, depending on their distance from the reservoir or intake.

Many local governments have adopted ordinances that specify wider buffers than

the state minimum requirements. For specific information on buffer zone

requirements in your area, you should contact your city or county zoning and

development department. Some local governments also offer assistance with

stream bank restoration and erosion control.

How can I protect buffer zones and stream health on my property?

• Never mow to the edge of a stream or lake; let the buffer develop naturally;

• Plant appropriate native vegetation and cuttings in the buffer zone;

• Don’t dump anything in a stream, including grass clippings and other yard

waste, try home composting instead;

• Keep the water body clean by removing trash;

• Leave natural woody debris in a stream. It provides habitat and food for

aquatic communities;

• Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly in your yard and not at all in the

buffer ;

• Keep septic systems in good working order to prevent contaminated runoff;

and

• Don’t change the course of a stream or try to use rocks or other

materials to stop stream bank erosion yourself. You can do more harm

than good.

Pesticides and fertilizers applied to the lawn above can harm the water

quality, cause algal blooms, and degrade habitat. However, the stream

bank has been allowed to naturally revegetate. Erosion is minimized,

pollutants are filtered out before reaching the stream, habitat for wildlife is

created, and shade is provided to keep water temperatures cooler.

Benefits increase with a wider buffer.

They preserve water quality by capturing

sediment and chemicals from stormwater

runoff, which protects our drinking water

They provide shade to

keep stream water

cooler and discourage

algae growth.

Why are healthy buffer zones

important?

They slow runoff to help

prevent flooding and

flood damage, saving

money for the property

owner and downstream

storm-water managers.

Healty buffer zones provide

natural habitat and movement

corridors for birds, mammals

and other wildlife.

Buffers stabilize stream banks

with their root systems and

prevent erosion.

and the aquatic habitat of fish and other

creatures.

Planning and creating a healthy

buffer zone

You will want to group some

plants together to provide

denser vegetation, better

habitat and more storm

water filtration at maturity.

Some trees should be

planted near the water’s

edge. Revegetation at the

water’s edge should be

allowed to occur naturally.

If you want to provide a path for access to

the water, it should be as narrow as

practical and covered with mulch or other

porous material to minimize erosion and

channeling of water in the buffer.

The buffer zone should be thought

of in layers moving from the stream

to the house and should be ordered:

trees, shrubs, groundcovers/

grasses, then maintained lawn.

If you want to maintain a view of the water,

you can create a “view corridor” of low-

growing vegetation in a selected area, while

still maintaining an effective buffer.

Planning and Creating an Effective Backyard Buffer

Before you begin work on creating or modifying your vegetated buffer strip, take

a look at how water flows off your property during a heavy rainstorm. The buffer

is most effective when runoff spreads out across it and does not flow in a

channel directly to the stream. Consider whether you need to divert water more

effectively into the buffer to achieve the best flow.

Next, look at how close your lawn comes to the stream or lake bank now. Many

people make the mistake of growing their lawn right down to the water’s edge,

when in fact a naturally vegetated buffer creates a more attractive landscape.

Lawns provide little, if any, habitat for birds and animals, and no benefits for the

water body. Think about how much lawn you really need, keeping in mind that

lawns require more care, water, fertilizers and pesticides than a natural buffer.

You have two choices for creating, restoring or expanding your buffer: let the

buffer area passively return to a natural state by creating a no-mow zone, or

actively revegetating the area with selected native and other plants. If you

select the first choice, you will find that birds, squirrels and other animals, as

well as wind and water, will help bring seeds, berries and nuts into the buffer

area. However, it will take some time for grasses, shrubs and trees to take root

and mature, so be patient. If the potential buffer site is just bare soil now, you

should plant grass seed covered with straw to prevent erosion during rain

events, and then allow other plants to become established.

Above, the neighborhood on the left has

eliminated the buffer zone and planted

grass to the river’s edge. The neighbor-

hood on the right has kept the buffer intact,

adding to the beauty of their property and

benefiting the health of the river.

Designing Your Own Buffer

If you want to take a more active role in the creation of your buffer, you should first

develop a planting plan. Remember that you will want to plant some

vegetation, especially shrubs and trees, in early spring when they are still

dormant or in the fall after the leaves have fallen. Also, you can create the

buffer in stages over time to spread out the work and expense of the project.

It is helpful to sketch out a design to determine how many plants are needed.

You can start your plan by drawing where you would like to plant grasses,

shrubs and trees, without worrying about the exact species at this stage. Do

consider the size (at maturity) of the plants you would prefer, however.

Generally, you should plant ground covers 1-3’ apart, shrubs 3-5’ apart, small

trees (up to 25’ at maturity) 15’ apart, and larger trees 25’ apart.

When selecting plants for your buffer, you will want to consider a number of

factors, including:

• Size of the plant at maturity, including height and width;

• Whether the plant is evergreen or deciduous (seasonal foliage);

• Whether the plant is slow, medium or fast growing;

• Color of foliage, flowers and berries;

• Time of year that plant blooms and produces seeds or fruit;

• Attraction of foliage to certain desirable insects (such as bees and

butterflies), birds and other animals;

• Resistance to insect pests and disease;

• Whether the plant prefers full sun, semi-shade or full shade, as this

factor will help to determine where in the buffer various plants would be

most appropriate;

• Watering requirements (native and/or drought resistant species are

preferred);

• What soil type the plant prefers, including pH range;

• Growing range (zone) for the plant, to ensure it is appropriate for your

area; and

• Whether the plant is native to your area or an imported variety

(whenever possible, desirable native plants should be used in the

buffer).

You should select a wide variety of plants, with a mixture of grasses, ground

covers, shrubs and trees. This will help decrease the spread of diseases and

provide you with attractively varied foliage. Also, select plants that flower and

bear fruit at various times during the growing season.

Internet resources

Georgia Wildlife Federation: http://www.gwf.org

National Wildlife Federation:

http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/

Natural Resources Conservation Service:

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/

Wildlife Habitat Council:

http://www.wildlifehc.org/managementtools/backyard.cfm

Georgia Citizen Riparian Network:

http://www.riversalive.org/CRN/

Citizen_Riparian_Network.htm

Georgia EPD Adopt-A-Stream Program: http://www.riversalive.org/aas.htm

USEPA River Corridor and Wetland Restoration:

http://www.epa.gov/owow/restore/

USDA Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes and Practices:

http://

www.usda.gov/stream_restoration/

Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture:

http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/urbanag/

homepage.shtml

Georgia Native Plant Society: http://www.gnps.org/

Coastal Plain Native Plant Society:

http://www.gnps.org/cpnps.htm

Georgia Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant site:

http://www.gwf.org/habitatplants.htm

Landscape Management Manual for Georgia Homeowners (ordering information): http://

www.p2ad.org/landmanual.html

NESPAL Native Plants and Landscaping:

http://nespal.cpes.peachnet.edu/Native/

Riparian Buffers In Your Backyard, For Chatham County And The Georgia Coast:

http://

www.thempc.com/Backyard%20buffers/Backyard%20Buffer_1.pdf

Smart Landscaping – A Georgia Native Plant Guide (Southface article Spring 2002):

http://www.southface.org/home/sfpubs/sfjv102/sfjv102-native-plants.htm

Georgia Integrated Pest Management (IPM) site:

http://www.gaipm.org/

USEPA Pesticides site:

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides

UGA Pesticide Safety for the Homeowner: http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/L430-w.html

Earth 911 site for waste disposal and recycling locations, and much more: Call 1-800-

CLEANUP or go to:

http://www.cleanup.org

Georgia Department of Community Affairs:

http://www.dca.state.ga.us

Atlanta Clean Water Campaign:

http://www.cleanwatercampaign.org/

Georgia Environmental Protection Division: http://www.dnr.state.ga.us/dnr/environ/

UGA Cooperative Extension Service, for free assistance, useful publications, and other

valuable information:

http://www.ces.uga.edu/

Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management

60 Executive Park South, N.E. Atlanta, Ga. 30329

www.dca.state.ga.us/environmental

404-679-4940