DESCRIPTION
This project proposes to design a program for large woody debris supplementation in the Forest Service reaches of the Dosewallips and Duckabush Rivers. The outcome of the project will be site specific designs for 8-10 large engineered log jams in the upper anadromous reaches of each of these rivers (16-20 ELJs total). Fish habitat in both rivers has been severly impacted by former landuse practises, specifically the clearing of wood from the rivers and the logging of riparian forests. This has led to decreased pool frequency, floodplain connectivity, and instreasm sediment stability, as well as a lack of instream rearing habitat for juvenile fish. The Dosewallips River Habitat Assessment (2005) characterizes that river as moderately impaired with a projected near-term shortfall of key LWD piece recruitment to the river, and though smaller LWD is relatively abundant in the river, this wood is highly mobile and generally does not form stable, persistent wood jams, conditions in the Duckabush are similar. This program will consist of two phases; the first will include the assessment and design work that is necessary for the implementation of a large scale instream construction project, the second phase will be the construction of the engineered log jams. This application is only for the first phase of the project, with a desired outcome of instream construction designs to the 30% level, which will be used to apply for regulatory permits.
WFC designed a program for large woody debris supplementation in the Forest Service reaches of the Dosewallips and Duckabush Rivers. The outcome of the project was specific designs for 8-10 large engineered log jams in the upper anadromous reaches of each of these rivers (16-20 ELJs total). Fish habitat in both rivers has been severly impacted by former landuse practices, specifically the clearing of wood from the rivers and the logging of riparian forests. This has led to decreased pool frequency, floodplain connectivity, and instream sediment stability, as well as a lack of instream rearing habitat for juvenile fish. The Dosewallips River Habitat Assessment (2005) characterizes that river as moderately impaired with a projected near-term shortfall of key LWD piece recruitment to the river, and though smaller LWD is relatively abundant in the river, this wood is highly mobile and generally does not form stable, persistent wood jams, conditions in the Duckabush are similar.
The project consists of two phases; the first included the assessment and design work necessary for the implementation of a large scale instream construction project, the second phase will be the construction of the engineered log jams. WFC has completed the first phase of the project, with the desired outcome of instream construction designs to the 30% level, which will be used to apply for regulatory permits.