Vegetated buffers can do much more than separate one land use from another. This USDA Forest Service guide brings together more than 80 illustrated design guidelines showing how buffers, corridors and greenways can be used to protect soil, improve air and water quality, support wildlife habitat and strengthen agricultural production.

The guidelines are based on a review of more than 1,900 research publications and translate that evidence into practical rules of thumb for landscape planning. Applications include agroforestry systems, riparian buffers, windbreaks, habitat corridors and other forms of managed vegetation in both rural and urban settings. Depending on their design, these features can help reduce erosion and runoff, improve water quality, provide habitat connectivity and contribute to crop and livestock systems.

A central strength of the guide is its multifunctional approach. Rather than designing vegetation for a single objective, it shows how the same landscape element can potentially deliver several ecosystem and production benefits at once. The illustrated format makes the technical evidence accessible for planners, land managers, farmers and practitioners working across agriculture, conservation and landscape restoration.