Poplar and Willow National Working Forum - Carrie Brausieck - Working Buffers in Snohomish County: A model for Improving Ecological Function and Providing a Variety of Harvestable Products Along a Riparian Buffer - April 13, 2016

One of the reasons of continued failure to improve riparian management on agricultural lands has been our traditional “no touch” approach to creating riparian zones. Farmers in Washington State face high-risk and low profit margins, so losing productive land to these no touch buffers is not usually an economically feasible option. We must figure out how to improve fish habitat and water quality while increasing agricultural viability at the same time. One way to provide increased buffering functions on agricultural land is by integrating well-designed agroforestry and runoff management practices near water. This “working buffers” approach offers the middle ground.