Streamside Management Zones

 

Streamside Management Zones (SMZ’s) are left to act as a buffer or filter strip for the stream. A strip of trees approximately 50 feet wide is left between the harvest area and the stream to filter out any sediment particles that might be coming off of the harvest site. In this picture you can see the harvest site behind the SMZ trees on the left of the picture.

 

SMZ from a different perspective. This picture shows the harvest area with a SMZ cutting through the middle of it where a stream is located. Notice that both sides of the stream are left buffered, not just one side.

 

This SMZ has multiple purposes. The first purpose is to act as a filter strip between the harvest site and the lake. The second purpose is to act as a visual buffer for the people enjoying the lake. This way when they look at the shore of the lake they still see trees instead of a harvested area.