Misplaced Pages

Riparian forest

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Riverine forest) Forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Riparian forest" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
A she-oak riparian forest in Western Sydney
See also: Riparian zone

A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink or reservoir.

Etymology

Riparian forest in Záhorie Protected Landscape Area in Slovakia

The term riparian comes from the Latin word ripa, 'river bank'; technically it only refers to areas adjacent to flowing bodies of water such as rivers, streams, sloughs and estuaries. However, the terms riparian forest and riparian zone have come to include areas adjacent to non-flowing bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, playas and reservoirs.

Characteristics

A riparian forest area along a tributary to Lake Erie
Atlantic coastal salt marsh

Riparian forests are subject to frequent inundation.

Riparian forests help control sediment, reduce the damaging effects of flooding and aid in stabilizing stream banks.

Riparian zones are transition zones between an upland terrestrial environment and an aquatic environment. Organisms found in this zone are adapted to periodic flooding. Many not only tolerate it, but require it in order to maintain health and complete their lifestyles.

Threats

Threats to riparian forests:

  • Cleared for agricultural use because of the good soil quality
  • Historically, trees used as wood fuel for steamships, steam locomotives, etc.
  • Urban development (housing, roads, malls, etc.)
  • Grazing
  • Mining
  • Disrupted hydrology, such as dams and levees, which reduces the amount and/or frequency of flooding
  • Invasive species

See also

References

  1. Molles, M.C. Jr. (2008). Ecology: Concepts and Applications (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-07-330976-7.
  2. https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/docs/cmnt081712/sldmwa/katibahabriefhistoryofriparianforestsinthecentral%20.pdf

External links


Stub icon

This article about environmental habitats is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: