Stroud Water Research Center has been encouraging streamside reforestation for decades to improve water quality and stream health. But for some landowners, the thought of taking agricultural land out of production has been a big hurdle. What if you could plant a buffer that would protect a stream and yield a crop?
The idea: plant riparian buffers with trees and shrubs that produce nuts, berries, or ornamental twigs that can be harvested without disturbing the soil. Last fall, Austin Unruh of Crow and Berry Land Management planted a demonstration buffer to see if he could combine conservation and commercial production. The plot was funded by a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant administered by Stroud Water Research Center.
Read the full story, Buffer Building Becomes Business, on LancasterFarming.com.
