Riparian buffer plantings along Saxtons River to address erosion and flood plains

SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. — The Windham County Conservation District, with the support of a grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, has identified and is working on installing vegetative buffers along the banks of the Saxtons River to address erosion and improve flood plains.

Riparian buffers are vegetated strips of land along the river corridor that supports a healthy stream system. Buffer plantings with native grasses, shrubs and trees provide organic material to the river for habitat and food for aquatic species. A vegetated bank also reduces erosion of stream banks and stores and slows down water in a floodplain during high water events.

The conservation district, along with local groups such as the Saxtons River Watershed Collaborative, the Rockingham Conservation Commission, the Town of Rockingham, and local landowners has installed several successful buffer plantings in the past several years. New buffer plantings are being designed in conjunction with the Town of Grafton for areas in in the upper portions of the Saxtons River watershed. If you are a landowner along the Saxtons River and are interested in learning more about the potential benefits of installing a riparian buffer on your property, please be in touch with the Conservation District at #802-689-3024 or [email protected]