February 3, 2017
CapitalPress.com
Joint effort will bring riverbanks back to life
For he Capital Press
CARLTON, Ore. — Un-
til last fall, both banks of the
North Yamhill River west
of Carlton were a thicket of
blackberries and reed canary
grass. But thanks to an agree-
ment between three area land-
owners and the Yamhill Soil
and Water Conservation Dis-
trict, a 2.3-mile-long riparian
buffer will be planted there
this spring.
“It took some convincing,”
Josh Togstad, a Riparian Spe-
cialist with YSWCD, said.
“The landowners are losing
some production. The buffer
will be at least 50 feet from
the top of the riverbank and
up to 225 feet, depending on
the meander of the river.”
The project is funded by a
$177,000 grant from the Or-
egon Department of Agricul-
ture. It’s part of a million-dol-
lar set aside to help private
landowners meet DEQ wa-
ter-quality standards in what
the ODA calls Strategic Imple-
mentation Areas.
All told, 33 acres belong-
ing to the Sitton family, of
Carlton, Kathy Magar, of
Gaston, and a third landown-
er will be planted with 60,000
native plants and shrubs such
as Oregon ash, red osier dog-
wood and big-leaf maple.
“We’ve done projects like
this before,” Togstad said,
“but the average is probably
five acres. It’s the first project
of this size in our area.”
Intact riparian buffers,
Togstad said, are the last line
of defense for clean water.
They cool streams, stabilize
banks, and filter runoff.
“A (100-foot buffer) filters
something like 90 percent of
phosphorus and 90 percent of
nitrogen out of runoff,” Tog-
stad said.
YSWCD will also plant
perennial grasses on bare soil
between shrubs and trees.
Grasses not only prevent
weeds from seeding in, but
also filter sediment from sur-
face runoff.
“After about five years,
trees will be big enough that
they won’t be killed by mice or
smothered by weeds,” he said.
“After 15 years, they’ll be tall
enough to provide shade.”
Though shade is good for
the river, it is often a source of
concern for farmers.
“There was some worry it
would throw shade on fields,”
Togstad said, “so we’re taper-
ing the buffer, with the tallest
trees right along the stream.”
“The other concern was
clogged tile lines,” he said.
“Most of that land is tiled for
drainage, so we’ll leave some
open sections for tile lines,
probably 10 to 15 feet wide.”
Once the buffer is plant-
ed this spring, YSWCD will
maintain it for five years.
“After that,” Togstad said,
“the established buffer won’t
need much more than mowing
and spot spraying.”
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By BRETT TALLMAN
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