ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley has been awarded by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for the maintenance of forested buffers to grantees located throughout the commonwealth.

Riparian forested buffers, which are forested areas adjacent to streams and waterways, are critical to protecting water quality by serving as a natural filtration system. Buffers trap sediment, nutrients and pollutants from agricultural runoff before they enter waterways. Vegetation also stabilizes stream banks, reducing harmful erosion and sedimentation, and when mature will provide shade to help reduce summertime water temperatures.

“One of the most common concerns voiced by producers and other stakeholders is difficulty in maintaining a planted forested buffer,” said James Martin, DCR division director of Soil and Water Conservation. “It is time-intensive to maintain and financially significant if the planted trees die. To be adequately maintained, planted forest buffers need to be treated for invasive species, mowed to ensure that the trees have less competition for resources, planting materials need to be replaced when damaged and dead trees need to be replanted.”

In 2023, DCR received $2 million in an earmark in the Water Quality Improvement Fund to provide additional incentives for the maintenance of riparian buffers by agricultural producers. In August 2025, DCR issued a request for proposals for these funds. The application period closed Oct. 1, 2025.

DCR received five proposals for funding buffer maintenance projects. The agency is recommending funding for each of the proposals received. This is a unique, one-time funding opportunity.

These awards are specifically for the maintenance of existing riparian forest buffers; the establishment of new forested buffers is not an eligible activity. Maintenance activities may include, but are not limited to mowing, survival checks, replanting due to mortality loss, invasive species management and tree shelter maintenance.

Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley was awarded $272,604. Other organizations that are receiving funds are James River Association, Friends of the Rappahannock, New River Conservancy, and New River Soil and Water Conservation District.