Ensure cool water temperatures: Protect and restore riparian areas

Protect and restore riparian areas

As temperatures continue to rise, as expected due to climate change, it will be important keep seasonal temperatures within the tolerance limits of fish and wildlife that rely on cold-water habitat, such as brook trout. Landowners can help sustain important cold-water habitat by maintaining or restoring climate resilient shade along important stream reaches.

Tree cover in these areas is particularly important for regulating water temperatures. A forested buffer at least 100 feet wide along the stream is ideal. However, even a narrow strip of trees can provide vital shade and other benefits for cold-water streams. If a cold-water stream flows through your property, consider planting trees along open stream banks or allow areas that border the stream to return to forest.

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What you can do:

• Stop mowing areas adjacent to cold-water streams and their tributaries and allow these areas to return to forest
• Plant appropriate, native, and resilient tree species along open stream banks
• Expand narrow riparian buffers
• In riparian areas where hemlock is threatened or was lost due to hemlock woolly adelgid, consult a professional forester to see if active management could be used to create a more resilient riparian forest

To help you decide where riparian buffers are most needed, see the Riparian Restoration Decision Support Tool below that identifies vulnerable stream and river banks lacking tree cover and shade in cold-water habitats.