The Wynoochee River Existing Conditions Assessment (Natural Systems Design, 2018) further examined these limiting factors and documented the effects of human development within the Wynoochee River RM 14 project area. The Existing Conditions Assessment also provides the recommended actions for developing restoration plans within the priority reaches. The results of the assessment indicated that riverine processes are impaired throughout the reach which has resulted in degraded habitat conditions for aquatic species and an increase in erosion and flood risks to valley landowners. The main findings of the assessment include:

-The majority of riparian vegetation consists of pasture grasses and young deciduous forest.

-Large wood material (LWM) loading is below reference conditions and the wood that is

-Channel migration rates are far above reference conditions.

-The majority of valley land is at high risk of channel erosion.

-The channel has incised ~3 - 4' below the historical floodplain surface.

-An inset floodplain has formed across the valley in much of the project area.

-Floodwaters regularly inundate much of the valley bottom within the inset floodplain. Historical floodplain surfaces are flooded less regularly (every 2-10 years on average).

-Alcoves, side channels, and associated riverine wetlands present within the riparian zone, as well as in the stream channel, provide important summer and winter rearing habitat for Spring and Fall run Chinook, coho, and winter steelhead.

The riparian and wetland habitats present in the project reaches support non-salmonid aquatic species including a diversity of fish such as lamprey and Olympic mudminnow with traditional Tribal and/or unique distributions, as well as amphibians indicative of high-quality riparian and wetland conditions such as the Van Dyke's salamander and western toad.

The impairment of these fundamental river processes has created a situation where outside action is necessary to restore the natural riverine processes and large wood cycle so the river can create the range and complexity of habitats necessary to support a diversity of aquatic species. Our restoration strategy includes the long-term restoration of a mature riparian forest, which is essential to re-starting the floodplain large wood cycle. A mature riparian forest will add stability to the system both by stabilizing the banks and by providing a source of stable large wood to be recruited to the stream. Sufficiently