Soil Evolution after Riparian Buffer Installation

Riparian buffers are engineered landscapes designed to protect fresh-water resources and to promote esthetics, soil and habitat health, reduce flooding, and provide economic benefits. An emerging attribute of riparian buffers is the preservation and accumulation of soil organic carbon. This review discusses riparian buffers to support and protect ecosystem services, the potential to sequester carbon, and the presentation of a case study to demonstrate soil fertility enhancement and soil organic matter accumulation. The riparian buffer involved in this study was in east-central Missouri and the stand age was approximately 18 years. Within the riparian buffer, soil organic matter averaged 3.4%, whereas in the adjacent production field soil organic matter averaged 1.7%, showing that the riparian buffer significantly supported soil carbon capture and preservation. Similarly, ammonium and sulfate concentrations were significantly greater in the riparian buffer. Habitat and soil water quality are important outcomes.