Riparian Buffer Management Recommendations for Brook Trout Habitat Conservation
Trout Unlimited
Augusta, ME
The objective of this project, completed by Kleinschmidt under contract
to Trout Unlimited, was to develop recommendations and guidelines for
the management of riparian
buffer zones and watershed areas, that promote
the
protection of brook trout (Salvelinus
fontinalis) habitat. Although the
focus of this project is on three specific river systems in western Maine
and northern New Hampshire, the recommendations are designed to be potentially
applicable to all coldwater riverine habitat in the northeastern United
States and Canada. The “guidelines” document identifies recommended BMPs including watershed management practices, riparian buffer widths and
management prescriptions, road and forestry BMPs, and stormwater management
BMPs, that
consider important water quality and quantity parameters that are directly
related to brook trout habitat requirements. The report, currently in
draft form, contains recommendations that are intended for use by government
agencies,
NGOs, and others in creating land management
plans and river corridor management plans. It is also intended to be
used by entities who are developing conservation easements or permit
conditions. The recommendations may also be useful to private landowners, including
paper companies, who wish to manage their lands in an environmentally
conscious manner.
Kleinschmidt identified important riparian buffer functions that directly benefit brook trout and buffer characteristics that influence the effectiveness of these functions. Effective riparian buffers maintain desirable brook trout habitat by maintaining stream water quality, providing bank stabilization, regulating water temperatures, regulating base flows, and providing large woody debris and organic matter inputs. These functions are influenced by buffer characteristics such as slope, vegetation type and quantity, soil quality, and topography. Kleinschmidt’s report to Trout Unlimited recommends the size and location of no-cut zones, zones subject to limited harvest (by cable only), and zones where well designed haul roads may be used.
The benefits provided by well managed riparian buffers and watershed areas not only benefit brook trout but also nontarget species in stream communities and in the larger watershed.