Practical Conservation

USDA has published a new 136-page corridor manual:

Bentrup, G.  2008.  Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways.  Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-109.  USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

This is the NEW best corridor manual in existence, a planning tool following up  Conservation Corridor Planning at the Landscape Level (the “old” best corridor manual reviewed earlier by yours truly).  This new manual is designed for use in the field.  It is small and spiral bound.  It has great diagrams, rules of thumb for the practical landowner, and it describes design guidelines for 7 major objectives – water quality, biodiversity, productive soils, economic opportunities, protection & safety, aesthetics & visual quality, and outdoor recreation.  Importantly, it updates the science and includes recommendations for both urban and agricultural landscapes.

At www.bufferguidelines.net, you can also download the bibliography ( 1,400+ references!), case studies and slideshows that complement the guide.  Available as a free downloadable pdf or order it as a spiral bound copy.

One caveat: This new manual does not make the “old” best corridor manual – Conservation Corridor Planning at the Landscape Level – obsolete.  The old manual is a different type of publication – more like a textbook with more detailed explanations of the theories behind design principles and numerous detailed case studies.  For classroom study or for designing comprehensive management plans, the first corridor manual is still “required reading.”