The Virginia Department of Forestry has announced a new program that provides landowners with free, flexible riparian forest buffer installation, plus one year of maintenance.

The Riparian Forests for Landowners program is a partnership based in watersheds and involving DOF, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Friends of the Rappahannock, James River Association, Terra Habitats LLC, and York River Steward.

Riparian forest buffers are transition areas that protect streams, creeks or other water features by capturing sediment, nutrients and pollutants in the soil before they reach the water.

This program is open to all Virginia private property owners including homeowner associations and civic leagues in rural, urban and suburban areas. Funding is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act through the USDA Forest Service and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Water Quality Improvement Fund Act.

“This turnkey program covers free services including planning, site preparation and pla...