Watershed Forestry Resource Library

Welcome to the searchable resource library for the Watershed Forestry Partnership! Here you can find outreach materials that have been created by other organizations working on riparian forest restoration, academic papers, and other resources. If you have something to add to the library, or have a request for what you would like to see here, please contact Shawn White at shawn.white [at] uvm.edu.

Key Resources:

  • Restoration Roundup Podcast Series - Through these 19 episodes, Restoration Roundup invites guests from local government and nonprofit organizations to discuss the work they are doing in riparian forest restoration around the Lake Champlain basin. Guests on the podcast have discussed many topics including invasive species, how riparian buffers support pollinators, the shortage of native trees and shrubs for restoration, and much more. 
  • Vermont Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Riparian Forest Buffer Specification Guide Sheet - Technical but brief guide from NRCS describing the agency's specifications for riparian forest buffers, including zones, widths, vegetation, fish and wildlife habitat specifications, planting plan specs, and both natural regeneration and direct seeding guidelines.
  • Vermont Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Tree and Shrub Establishment Guide - NRCS technical guide to tree and shrub establishment, including information about site prep and weed control; planting timing; storage and handling of plant material; planting techniques; protection from browse; natural regeneration; and direct seeding.
  • Vermont Trees for Streams Resource Guide - This guide includes information about types of buffers; considering pollution source, land use history, and goals of the restoration project; site selection; planting plans; vegetation types; planting procedures; and sources of support and assistance.
  • Northwestern Vermont Riparian Planting Guide - This relatively brief guide outlines information on partner organizations in NW Vermont; funding opportunities; outreach to landowners; project design and implementation; and maintenance and monitoring. Although the guide is designed to be locally-specific to Northwestern Vermont, much of the information is applicable in the broader New England region.

Legacy effects of emerald ash borer on riparian forest vegetation and structure

Published 2020
Author(s): Patrick J. Engelken, M. Eric Benbow, and Deborah G. McCullough
Study in Michigan exploring the effects of emerald ash borer (EAB) on riparian forest composition and structure. Study found that ash regeneration is decreasing, and more than 85% of mature ash have died in sites across southern Michigan.

Notes from the Field (Watershed Forestry Partnership Newsletter): Fall 2020

Published 2020
Author(s): Watershed Forestry Partnership
Fall 2020 newsletter for the Watershed Forestry Partnership. Stories include an update from Friends of the Mad River, Redstart, and the Intervale Conservation Nursery; a description of the Functioning Floodplains Initiative; recent work on deer exclosure; and more.

Resilient Right-of-Ways: A guide to community stewardship of Vermont backroads

Published 2020
Author(s): Joanne Garton, Department of Forests, Parks, & Rec
Informed by 200 miles of rural roadside assessments and input from over 60 local volunteers and municipally focused professionals, this guide will give you the information you need to choose your community’s priorities and plan of action for your backroads. Use this guide to plan for site-specific tree and forest management that increases roadside resilience in the face of frequent disturbances, such as road construction and vegetation clearing, and long-term constraints, such as budget limitations, changing regulations, and increasing forest pests and disease.

2019 VT Riparian Buffer Working Group Meeting Materials: Riparian Habitat Restoration Monitoring Updates

Published 2019
Author(s): Annalise Carington, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, USFWS
Presentation slides updating the community on monitoring of 27 restoration sites across 7 watersheds in Vermont. Monitoring was done in 2013 and 2018. Overall survivorship was 48% in 2018, but was highly variable between sites. Describes survivorship and growth by species and outlines management implications.

BioFinder

Published 2019
Author(s): Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
Online GIS mapping system with conservation-specific layers, including a "surface water and riparian areas" layer, and a "riparian wildlife connectivity layer." For information on how the layers were created and how to interpret them, click the "Creating BioFinder & Vermont Conservation Design" link on this page.

Riparian forest buffers of the Susquehanna-Chesapeake Watershed: observations, assessments, and recommendations

Published 2019
Author(s): Peter Kleinman, Robert Brooks, Corina Fernandez, Michael Nassry, Tamie Veith, Gregory McCarty, Carlington Wallace, Erik Hagan, Louis Saporito, Skip Hyberg, Rich Iovanna, Sally Claggett, Lisa Duriancik, & Teferi Tsegaye
Led by LTAR’s Upper and Lower Chesapeake Bay sites, this study found that riparian forested buffers reduce nitrogen pollution by 17 to 56%, and phosphorus pollution by 4 to 20%, while riparian grass buffers were roughly equally effective.

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