Riparian Area Management

Though riparian areas are not abundant in the landscape, they have great historical significance. The provide a variety of useful products, such as water, forage, and firewood. Additional values such as biological diversity, water storage, and sediment trapping have more recently been attributed to riparian areas. However the ability of a given site to provide this range of products may be dependent upon the quality of the vegetation present. For example, a stand of coyote willow will provide building materials for beaver, whereas a stand of Nebraska sedge will not. Yet the dense root mass of Nebraska sedge will provide overhanging streambanks, a key fishery habitat feature, whereas the root system of Kentucky bluegrass will not.