Despite the numerous values of riparian areas and the recognition of fire as a critical natural disturbance, few studies have investigated the behavior, properties, and influence of natural fire in riparian areas of the western USA. Riparian areas frequently differ from adjacent uplands in vegetative composition and structure, geomorphology, hydrology, microclimate, and fuel characteristics. Th...

Concerns about the effects of fire on ecologically sensitive habitats have limited the use of prescribed fire in the management of forest riparian areas. Using a beyond-BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) experimental design, we examined the effects of a 26-ha prescribed fire that burned upland and riparian areas of a first-order watershed, and compared this to five unburned sites examined from ...

USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-110. 1989. 3 Riparian zones occur at interfaces — ecological interfaces between different ecosystems and conceptual interfaces between different scientific disciplines. The plethora of definitions and delineations of riparian zones are inconsistent, confusing, and often contradictory, reflecting the diversity of disciplines, perspectives, and objectives f...

in present study effects of riparian vegetation on morphometric and morphological changes have been investigated in a part of talar river during 58 years. so land use maps produced for 1955 and 2013 by aerial photos. results show during study time riparian vegetation changed extremely and approximately 96% of riparian vegetation removed during 58 years. in additionally, results showed during st...

~ Riparian lands are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. They occupy only a small proportion of the landscape but frequently support a greater variety and abundance of animal life than adjacent habitats. ~ Important habitat components include vegetation (often taller, denser, more diverse, and more complex in riparian lands), food, standing water, shelter from predators, sites for ne...

Despite general agreement that river-valley hydrology shapes riparian ecosystems, relevant processes are difficult to distinguish and often inadequately specified in riparian studies. We hypothesize that physical constraints imposed by broad-scale watershed characteristics and river valleys modify local site conditions in a predictable and probabilistic fashion. To test this hypothesis, we empl...

Riparian zones can strongly influence the exchange of nutrients between streams and their watersheds. Most riparian studies have been done in mesic watersheds, which differ significantly from arid-land watersheds hydrologically. The goals of our work were to determine the strength and direction of hydrologic linkages between stream and riparian zone, and to estimate the extent of uptake of stre...

Riparian zones are recognized as landscape features that buffer streams from pollutants, particularly nitrogen. The objectives of this experiment were to (i) assess denitrification activity within a riparian zone and (ii) determine the influence of physical, chemical, and landscape features on denitrification. This experiment was conducted from 1994 to 1997 in North Carolina on a riparian zone ...