TREES, NATIVE PLANTING & BUFFERS:
A Few Facts
What’s The ‘Use’ Of Trees and Shrubs to Our Ponds and Rivers?
- Trees enhance the value of your property. They provide natural cooling and shade in the summer, and reduce the effect of wind during the colder months. Trees and shrubs also reduce noise and offer a sense of privacy.
- The root systems of trees and shrubs help to stabilize the soil and keep it from washing away during heavy rains. In addition, some trees absorb some harmful sediments, nutrients and chemicals that might contaminate nearby waterbodies. Trees and shrubs trap runoff more effectively than lawns, and also allow stormwater to filter into the ground. Leaves filter the air we breathe by removing dust and other particulates.
- Trees and shrubs provide places for birds and other animals to find food, nest sites, and shelter from predators. Fruit trees and berry-bearing shrubs are particularly important to many species.
- Deciduous trees planted on the south side of homes provide shade during the summer, therefore lowering potential air conditioning costs.
- Conifers provide protection from wind and cover for winter wildlife.
Why Should I Plant with Native Plants?
- Native trees and shrubs require less fertilizer, less water and less overall maintenance, as they are better adapted to the climate, soils, and other growing conditions of the area. They are also less susceptible to pests and require less herbicides and pesticides. The fewer chemicals that are applied to plants or used in the soil mean fewer chemicals that can wash off into our rivers, lakes and ponds.
- Native birds and wildlife are better adapted to native trees and shrubs.
- Non-native plants lack natural controls and may spread and invade neighboring areas and out-compete native plants. They often have much lower wildlife value than native species. Some examples of non-native plants in the Mystic River Watershed that are difficult and costly to control include Japanese Knotweed, Purple Loosestrife, Phragmites (or Common reed), European Buckthorn, Black Swallowwort, Water Chestnut and Oriental Bittersweet.
Why Is It Important To Keep Some Trees and Shrubs Between Your House and A Body Of Water?
- The benefits to keeping a wide buffer strip of trees and shrubs between your home and the shoreline include less erosion into the water, increased habitat for birds and other wildlife, and fewer contaminants polluting the water. A buffer protects the water from toxic chemicals and excess nutrients by absorbing some of them before they can run-off into the water. A buffer may be native vegetation that has been left on the landscape, or a planting of assorted native grasses, shrubs, and trees. Native perennials also help to filter nutrients, prevent erosion, and attract butterflies and beneficial insects.
Condor Street Urban Wild, East Boston
Information On Native Plants to Massachusetts
- Roadside Use of Native Plants: State Plant Listings, US Department of Transportation.
- Native Riparian Species, written by Russ Cohen for MA Riverways.
Information About the Benefits of Trees on Water Quality
- Klapproth, Julia C. and Johnson, James E., “Understanding the Science behind Riparian Forest Buffers: Effects on Water Quality.” Virginia Cooperative Extension.
- American Forests: Trees and Ecosystem Services.