Featured Publication
Using Soil Surveys To Guide The Placement Of Water Quality Buffers
"Riparian forests and other vegetative buffers may function better in some locations than in others for protecting and improving stream water quality. A simple method was developed for using information contained in soil surveys to identify better locations for filtering sediment and dissolved pollutants from surface and groundwater flow. The method provides an estimate of how well a buffer would work in each soil map unit. The mapped results can guide managers to locations where protection and installation of buffers would yield greater water quality benefits." By Michael G. Dosskey, Matthew J. Helmers, and Dean E. Eisenhauer. Reprinted from the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Volume 61, Number 6. Copyright © 2006 Soil And Water Conservation Society.
Research Projects
NAC Research places emphasis on providing a scientific basis for developing agroforestry on crop, range, and pasture lands in the central U.S. Tree-based buffers can improve water quality, enhance crop and livestock production, create wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon, among other benefits for private landowners and communities.
- Ecological Functions of Buffers to understand how riparian and upland tree buffers protect water quality, enhance aquatic and terrestrial environments, and sequester carbon.
- Site Design and Management to determine how to design and manage individual buffers to attain desired production and conservation benefits.
- Landscape Integration to develop an improved basis for decision-making relative to design criteria and expected water quality benefits, along with other resource considerations, from tree-based buffer systems.
