Protecting Water

Spotting erosion problems before they grow makes it cheaper and easier to fix them.

Understanding how water damages your trails is the first step in protecting them.

Make sure your forester and logger know your expectations for your favorite spots on your woodlot, like a special trail or view.

Best Management Practices (BMP's) are techniques you or your logger can use on your trails to control the flow of water.

The first and most important step when taking on a tree-planting project is to choose the tree species that will meet your needs as well as have a good chance of surviving in the spot you intend to plant them.

Planting a tree isn’t as simple as digging a hole. Proper planting technique can mean the difference between life and death for a baby tree.

Young trees, both newly planted and naturally growing, will benefit from protection from deer. Deer protection can be as wide-ranging as fencing off an area of your woodlot or as specific as tubing individual trees.

A successful rain garden takes planning. Factors like location, size, and what you plant all affect how expensive the garden will be and how effectively it will reduce runoff.

Hiking, ATV's, and horseback riding need different Best Management Practices. Match the techniques you use to the traffic your trails receive.

Even with protection, newly planted trees need your tender loving care to help them survive. Use the information in this activity to help give your trees the best chance for long-term success.

The first step in caring for your streamside area is to understand what and where they are.

Require your logger to reduce soil erosion by including Best Management Practices in your written timber sale contract.

Clean out your Best Management Practices annually to keep them working. This maintenance often avoids the need for costly heavy equipment later on.

The areas where your trails and streams meet are the spots most likely to cause water quality problems. Protect your streams when crossing them by using an appropriate crossing structure, like a temporary bridge.

Find out if your streamside areas are healthy and what to do to care for them with this easy-to-use self-assessment.

The Catskill Streams Buffer Initiative provides landowners along streams in the New York City Watershed with assistance and financial support to protect streams from damage.

With your plan in place, it’s time to actually put in your rain garden. Depending on the garden’s size, it can be helpful to work with a contractor when installing a rain garden.

Once you install your rain garden, you aren’t done. Maintenance plays an important role in ensuring the garden’s long-term health and usefulness.