This presentation will review the current Best Management Practices for riparian forest buffers. This technique has been used for decades for its ability to filter contaminants from agriculture runoff and other land uses before those pollutants enter streams.Attendees will learn what decades of research by the Stroud Water Research Center and other investigators have confirmed;that riparian forest buffers also play another important role:improving the health of the stream itself, thus enabling the stream to provide more ecosystem services for both humans and wildlife. Healthy streams process natural organic matter and

pollutants more effectively than unhealthy streams.Successful restoration of riparian forest buffers represents a cost-effective and long term option for enhancing water quality.