Waves, wind, currents, and ice put significant stress on soil that comes into contact with a body of water. Ecologists, water quality specialists, and land planners agree that a naturally vegetated buffer along a shoreline is optimal for the maintenance of a healthy body of water. The concept of a native plant buffer is simple: a continuous vegetative strip planted with various native plants in an undisturbed setting. A turf grass lawn has neither the root system nor the tolerance for water to be an effective buffer against the dynamic effects of water on the shoreline.
Conventional solutions to erosion problems have been to armor shorelines with hard surfaces such as rock, concrete, or steel. These methods are expensive to maintain in the short and long-term, are detrimental to wildlife, are not very attractive and actually may cause increased flooding and erosion in other locations connected to the body of water.
An added benefit of a bioengineered solution is that it can be substantially less expensive to maintain over a long period of time. After a two to four year nurturing period, during which time the native plants become well established, the maintenance cost is minimal.
Specifications for a shoreline protecting, native plant buffer will vary depending on the specifics of a particular site. There are, however, several basic components common to all buffers.
Vegetation: All plant species will be native to the region. The species used will range from wetland plants to upland prairie types. Trees are not recommended for erosion control. The choice of plants will be influenced by the velocity at which the water travels, the amount of water level change during a rain event, the current degree of slope, current shoreline condition and, of course, the owner’s preference.
Width: Any strip of native vegetation will be beneficial. However, the full benefits really begin to accrue when the buffer is at least 8 feet wide. Larger bodies of water require wider buffer zones.
Accessibility: A continuous, uninterrupted buffer is preferable for optimum protection, but it is possible to create access to the water for recreational purposes. Either a mowed path or rocks can be used. A stabilized, native plant buffer serves as a line of defense against threats to our region’s ponds, lakes and waterways.
The benefits include:
- filtration of storm water runoff
- mitigation of the erosive effects of water
- enhanced fish and wildlife habitat
- increased beauty
- reduced goose population
