New Report Reveals Riparian Buffer Effectiveness

A recent Agricultural Research Service report provides proof that forest buffers are not only highly effective at removing nitrogen from agricultural runoff, but can efficiently remove phosphorus as well.

According to the results of a nine-year study by Agricultural Research Service scientists in Tifton, Ga., and cooperators at the University of Georgia, restored riparian wetland buffers retained or removed at least 60 percent of the nitrogen and 65 percent of the phosphorus that entered from an adjacent site where manure was applied. This is the first time that a study of a restored riparian buffer has shown that the retention of phosphorus was as high or higher than nitrogen retention. The study found that one particular type of buffer—called a restored zone 3 conservation buffer—is especially effective in removing excess nutrients from agricultural runoff. A zone 3 buffer is a grassy edge that sits next to the field. For more information, visit http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2003/031201.htm.