Forest Riparian Buffers

Forest Riparian Buffers “Forest Riparian Buffers” is the topic of the Thursday, February 19, 2015, meeting of the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association. Craig Highfield, Forests for the Bay Program Manager with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will speak about improving our forests and forest riparian buffers to protect water resources including those that flow into the Bay. The meeting will be at 7:00 PM, at the Franklin County Ag Heritage Building which is located at 185 Franklin Farm Lane in Chambersburg. The meeting is open to the public. You do not have to be a member of the association and there is no cost to attend. The workshop is handicap accessible. If you need specific accommodations, please contact Penn State Extension in advance at 717-263-9226. Forest buffers are critical to clean water. They prevent pollution from entering waterways and stabilize stream banks. Forest buffers are also vital to wildlife. They provide wildlife with food and habitat and shade streams to the benefit of sensitive aquatic species. Without forest buffers, runoff from farms and developed areas would flow directly into rivers and streams. Forest buffers are a waterway’s last line of defense against pollution that washes off the land. Forestry for the Bay is an education and outreach program for the region’s woodland owners. The goal of the program is to educate landowners about the connection between healthy woodlands & clean water and that the healthiest woods are managed. Forests for the Bay was developed through collaboration between the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the US Forest Service and the Chesapeake Bay Program, with support from the Maryland Forest Service, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry and the Virginia Department of Forestry. The purpose is to promote sound forest management practices as a way to increase the vitality of the region’s woodlands and improve the health of local streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is an organization of private forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. The mission of the association is to provide information, education and an exchange of ideas to its members and others about the methods and benefits of proper forest management. For more information about the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association and the January 13th meeting, contact Fred Peabody at 717/776-3565 (email: fredp5@earthlink.net).