1 Establishment of Riparian Forest Buffers on Agricultural Lands in the

Riparian areas in the Pacific Northwest have traditionally been a source of natural resources such as timber and grazing and for transportation corridors, and homesteads. A primary impact has been the removal of riparian trees, whose crowns and roots provide shade and stream bank protection. Increases in water temperature can be lethal to salmonid fish and decreasing salmon populations over the past few decades have resulted in an urgent need for improving the management of watersheds, fish habitat, and water quality. Leaving streamside buffers is now required by state forest practices regulations on forestlands, but no regulations are in place on agriculture lands where riparian trees have frequently been removed. In 1995, the Beaver Creek riparian buffer project was established to develop better information about how to establish riparian buffers on coastal pastureland near Newport, Oregon. No riparian trees were present. A replicated tree filter belt trial was established along the south bank of the creek to compare unplanted pasture (controls) with commercially valued red alder (Alnus rubra) planted at 6 ft spacing in: (1) one row, (2) three row, and (3) six tree row widths. We will report tree survival, height and diameter growth and compare the amount of shade produced by the four treatments