The Western PA Conservancy’s Watershed Conservation Program has initiated an effort to plant thousands of trees and woody plants along streams in an effort to improve and protect water quality and wildlife habitat.

Landowners in priority watersheds have an opportunity to assist WPC with the tree plantings by allowing a buffer to be planted on their property. The Conservancy aims to improve priority watersheds in Western Pennsylvania by ameliorating riparian zones, or land adjacent to streams that improves water quality and fish habitat.

This project attempts to tackle that goal by planting native trees and plants on at least 125 acres, improving up to 35,000 linear feet of stream.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation provided financial support for the project.

Based on biodiversity data collected by WPC scientists and others, the Conservancy will focus its work on the following priority watersheds:

-- The upper Allegheny region, including French Creek, Brokenstraw Creek and the upper Allegheny tributaries;

-- The lower Allegheny and Ohio region, including Buffalo Creek in Washington County; Little Mahoning Creek, Loyalhanna Creek and Tubmill Creek;

-- The Juniata and Potomac region, including Aughwick Creek, the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River and Kishacoquillas Creek; and

-- The West Branch Susquehanna region, including Portage Creek, Sinnemahoning Creek and West Branch Susquehanna tributaries.

Stream banks that lack vegetative cover can erode excessively and will contribute to increased sedimentation on the stream. Many streams in these priority watersheds are impaired by excess sediment loads caused by erosion that is associated with a lack of woody vegetation.

The Conservancy’s Watershed Conservation Program staff will identify riparian areas needing vegetative cover in each of the priority watershed areas and will approach landowners about participating in the project. The objective is to locate streams lacking a riparian buffer and then plant one.

WPC staff will design and carry out planting plans that include only native trees and woody plants. Participating landowners will agree to steward and maintain the plantings. Property owners in the focus areas that have streams of any size lacking a buffer are encouraged to contact WPC to discuss a possible planting.

“Research suggests forested buffers provide many benefits, including protection from erosion, the creation of wildlife habitat and cooler water temperatures for aquatic organisms,” said Jenifer Christman, associate vice president of watershed conservation at the Conservancy.

Landowners interested in learning more about how buffers can improve and protect their property can contact Alysha Trexler, WPC’s watershed projects manager, at 724-471-7202 or send email to: atrexler@paconserve.org.

For more information on WPC’s programs, visit the Conserve Water webpage.

(Reprinted from the December issue of Water, Land, Life newsletter from the Western PA Conservancy)

12/10/2012