United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
California Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content





California Buffer Initiative

The following information and links provide NRCS staff and partners with support to implement the California Buffer Initiative. Conservation buffers and filter strips are small areas or strips of land in permanent vegetation, designed to intercept pollutants and manage other environmental concerns. Strategically placed buffer strips in the agricultural landscape can effectively mitigate the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides within farm fields and from farm fields.

If you encounter problems with the files provided on this page, please contact Carmen Ortiz at (805) 928-9269, ext. 102.

Jobsheets

The following documents require Adobe Reader.

Alley Cropping, National Jobsheet 311 (PDF; 153 KB)
Contour Buffer Strips, National Jobsheet 332 (PDF; 153 KB)
Field Border, National Jobsheet 386 (PDF; 153 KB)
Filter Strip, National Jobsheet 393 (PDF; 153 KB)
Grassed Waterway, National Jobsheet 412 (PDF; 153 KB)
Herbacious Wind Barrier, National Jobsheet 422A (PDF; 153 KB)
Riparian Forest Buffer, National Jobsheet 391A (PDF; 153 KB)
Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment, National Jobsheet 380 (PDF; 153 KB)
California Buffers at Work - Tehama County Holistic Grazing System (Example) (PDF; 153 KB)
California Buffers at Work - Yolo County Hedgerow Buffer (Example) (PDF; 153 KB)
California Buffers at Work - Yolo County Grassed Waterway (Example) (PDF; 153 KB)
California Buffers at Work - Yolo County Tail-Water Pond (Example) (PDF; 153 KB)
California Buffers at Work - Colusa County Grassed Waterway (Example) (PDF; 153 KB)
California Buffers at Work - Colusa County Streambank Stabilization with Willows (Example) (PDF; 153 KB)

Other Buffer or Filter Strip Technology and Information Resources

The following documents require Acrobat Reader.

Buffer Initiative Brochure (PDF; 153 KB)
Field Borders & Farmland Songbirds (PDF; 153 KB)
Vegetation Maintenance to Restore Northern Bobwhite Quail (PDF; 153 KB)
Ponds, Planning, Design, Construction - Ag. Handbook No. 590 (PDF; 153 KB)
Stream Corridor Inventory & Assessment Techniques (PDF; 153 KB)
Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (PDF; 153 KB)