Filter Strip

Filter strips are areas of herbaceous vegetation situated between cropland, grazing land, forest land, or disturbed land and environmentally sensitive areas. Sensitive areas include streams, lakes, wetlands, and other water bodies and areas susceptible to damage by water-borne pollutants, including sediment, particulate organics, sediment-adsorbed contaminants, and dissolved contaminants.

Filter strips are used on cropland, grazing land, forest land, or disturbed land.

Wildlife

Filter strips can enhance wildlife objectives, depending on the vegetative species used and management practiced. Using native or adapted vegetative species can improve the wildlife values of a filter strip area as well as biodiversity. Avoid mowing during nesting periods.

Operation and Maintenance

Mow filter strips (and harvest if possible) as necessary to encourage dense vegetative growth. If established for wildlife habitat, avoid mowing during the nesting period of ground-nesting wildlife. Control undesirable weed species. Inspect and repair after storm events to fill in gullies, remove flow-disrupting sediment accumulation, reseed disturbed areas, and take other measures to prevent concentrated flow into and across the filter strip. Lime and fertilize to soil test recommendations to maintain a vigorous stand. Exclude livestock and vehicular traffic from filter strips during wet periods of the year to reduce compaction that will limit infiltration. This type of traffic should be excluded at all times to the extent practical. Restoration is required if the filter strip has accumulated sediment to a point that it no longer functions effectively.

Site-specific requirements are listed on the specifications sheet. Additional provisions are entered on the job sketch sheet. Specifications are prepared in accordance with the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide. See practice standard Filter Strip, code 393.