Forest and W ildlife
T rees A long S tream s
C
orridors oftrees grow ing on m oistsoils along
stream s are called “riparian” w oodlands.M any kinds of
w ildlife use riparian w oodlands for allor part of their
habitat needs, w hile others spend their entire life in
these zones.
In ruralM issouri, riparian w oodlands m ay be the
only w oody cover am idstfields and pastures.In forests,these zones are differentiated from the other
w oodlands because ofthe kinds oftrees thatgrow in
the stream bottom .
dens,roosts,and nesting sites,butthey also serve as
im portant w ildlife travel lanes.
R iparian w oodlands also benefit the stream and
the w ildlife that lives in the w ater. The root system s
form a buffer zone that keeps sedim ents and other
pollutants from entering the stream w hile holding
the stream banks in place. Trees attract insects for
w ildlife food, provide shade over the w ater, and supply enriching organic nutrients. Fallen trees provide
cover for fish and a basking area for snakes,lizards
and turtles.
Value To W ildlife
The variety ofvegetation and a close w atersource are
qualities that m ake riparian w oodlands im portant to
w ildlife. N ot only do these w oodlands provide food,
Riparian woodlands are important to many kinds of wildlife.
Im provem ent for W ildlife H abitat
M anaging the riparian zone to benefitw ildlife and the
stream nextto ittakes som e carefulplanning.Ifriparian
Several layers of tree heights provide better riparian zones.
habitatalready exists,the firstpriority is to protecta 100200 footw ide corridor oftrees on each side ofthe stream .
M anaging valuable individualtrees in these areas does
nothave to destroy the riparian habitatvalues.For exam ple, grow ing only black w alnut trees w ould eventually
decrease diversity oftrees and lessen the w ildlife habitat
value.O n the other hand,cutting allblack w alnuttrees
w ithout allow ing them to grow back w ould deprive som e
w ildlife of an im portant food source.
Encouraging naturaltree invasion or planting seedlings
w illw iden or re-establish very narrow or non-existent riparian zones.M ostlikely to grow firstw ould be trees like cottonw ood, green ash, w illow , silver m aple, elm and boxelder.Slow er grow ing trees w ith heavy seeds,like hickory,oak
and black w alnut,m ay take years to invade.
Seeding from nearby trees w illspeed up naturalregeneration. C ottonw ood, green ash, silver m aple, w illow , sycam ore, elm , sw eetgum and yellow -poplar have w ind-blow n
seeds w hich w illgerm inate if they land on bare soil. Providing
bare soil near these trees encourages germ ination. Planting
seedlings such as pin oak, pecan, black w alnut, and river birch
w ithin the naturally seeded stands w illprovide a m ixture of
trees. Faster grow ing trees provide cavities earlier, w hile slow er grow ing, long-lived trees replace them in later years.
zones usually have excellentsoil,they are productive and
can grow high quality,econom ically valuable trees such as
black w alnutand pecan.
Intensive m anagem entofblack w alnuttrees and native pecan groves for nut production requires som e w ildlife
habitattradeoffs,how ever.Since one type oftree is favored, variety w ithin the w oodland is reduced.
A tim ber cutm ustbe done carefully to m inim ize loss
ofsnags,den trees and diversity,w hich are particularly im portant to w ildlife. Tim ber stand im provem ent (TSI) practices can help increase production of w ood products w hile
m aintaining valuable w ildlife habitat.
R iparian w oodlands often develop tw o levels of tree
heights;one high leveloftalltrees such as cottonw ood,sycam ore and m aple,and one low er levelconsisting oftrees
like m ulberry,boxelder,spicebush and redbud.W hen tall
trees are cut,a thick canopy ofshortertrees can develop.
These shortertrees shade the forestfloorand discourage
the grow th ofnew talltrees thatw ould later replace those
cut.Ifa dense low canopy exists,itshould be cutback at
the sam e tim e the taller trees are cut,to allow alltrees an
equalchance to develop.
M anagem ent for W ood Products
R iparian w oodlands need extra protection because ofthe
high w ildlife use and ability to grow valuable trees.W hen
cutting in the riparian zone,a few sim ple practices w illreduce dam age to the area.W hen a stream crossing is need-
M any landow ners m anage riparian w oodlands to im prove
the grow th oftrees for w ood products.Because riparian
Protecting R iparian W oodlands
ed,the road should cross atrightangles.Also,neverlocate
logging roads in a stream bed.U sing diversion bars and
ditches to channelw ater out of logging roads w illdivert
and disperse the run-offw ater,causing less erosion.This
w illultim ately cause less sedim ent to be deposited in the
stream s.
Avoid rem oving trees thathave fallen into the stream
orappearready to do so.These trees are helping hold the
bank in place.W hen they eventually fall,they create im portantinstream habitat.R em ove only trees thatare causing problem s in the stream .
Fence livestock outside the riparian zones to avoid erosion and vegetation destruction.W here w ater is needed,a
fenced chute w illlim it livestock to one area of the bank
and reduce erosion.
R iparian w oodlands are rapidly disappearing in som e
regions due to land clearing for agriculture and housing developm ent.Stream straightening also rem oves naturaltree
cover and harm s a w ide variety ofplants and anim als.Free
technicaladvice for m anaging a riparian zone to benefitforests,fish and w ildlife is available through the M issouriD epartm entofC onservation.
Roads should be constructed to quickly funnel water away from the roadbed.
Livestock watering areas should be restricted.
C opyright© 1994 M issouriD epartm ent of C onservation