Bottomland hardwood trees and shrubs can provide wildlife habitat, prevent soil erosion, protect water quality, provide recreational opportunities, and produce wood fiber. They provide cover, homes, and food for a variety of wildlife species. When planned in conjunction with forested riparian buffers they can also provide critical travel corridors for wildlife.

Converting crop ground to bottomland forests will also reduce or even eliminate sheet and rill erosion. Permanent woody vegetation slows water flow and captures sediment, which is Iowa's primary water quality problem. Decreasing the sediment load in our waters can improve water quality dramatically.

Bottomland hardwood plantings also provides an excellent vehicle for taking carbon dioxide out the atmosphere and storing that carbon long term as wood fiber. In time this wood fiber can be marketed and provide an additional income source.

Working with your forester you can design your bottomland tree and shrub planting to meet your specific ownership objectives, meet CRP program requirements, and ensure that you are planting species suited to your planting site.

Planting hardwoods can virtually halt this type of erosion and sedimentation in bottomland fields. Halting sedimentation conserves soil and dramatically improves water quality.

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