Stream Restoration - interesting read

[sarce]

Came across this PDF about stream restoration in the Midwest and thought many of you would find it interesting. Warning, it will try to download as soon as you click the link.
Link to PDF

 

[troutbert]

Thanks for posting this. It is a very interesting read.

The WI people's views on riparian vegetation have changed a lot over the years.

Back in the day they recommended just tall grass. And regular "de-brushing" cuttings to keep it in grass, to prevent the growth of woody vegetation (trees and shrubs).

Now he shows a picture of large woody debris in the stream and says that's a good thing. To have LWD in streams, you of course need large trees growing along the streams.

 

[Tups]

I did find the presentation thought-provoking. Thanks for posting it Sarce. The philosophy of stream remediation is definitely heading toward a more ecologically based foundation. Mr. White's presentation includes elements of the fairly well-known "Channel Evolution Model," and highlights the ecological principle that a moderate amount of disturbance within the system has positive benefits.

 

[bigjohn58]

I like the idea of stream restoration projects BUT so many of them just look way too man made. It really takes away from the environment as much as it gives to it. I really do not like fishing around these restoration areas just from a visual perspective.

 

[troutbert]

The benefits of vigorous riparian vegetation for good stream habitat has been known for a long time.

The big question though is how to convince landowners to allow it.

It is still very common to see people mowing right up close to streams. In residential and business areas. And in parks. And golf courses. And even on land managed by natural resource agencies.

And in farm country, it's still very common to see very narrow riparian buffers, and none at all.

 

[troutbert]

What do yinz think about the "de-brushing" recommended there?

Would you recommend that for PA's forested streams? I wouldn't.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

I do not think the debrushing method is applicable in many of our montainous and forested watershed, however in lower gradient stretches of a system such as parts of the yellow breeches it may be a useful strategy to diversify vegetation in riparian zones. Riparian buffers are extremely important and serve many purposes for a body of water. They provide shade to help regulate temperature, their roots stabilize banks, they help filter out sediment, nutrients and other forms of pollution. The provide a lot of insect and wildlife habitat that can also provide food to aquatic organisms. Also when riparian vegetation dies and falls into a stream it provides large woody debris that help to diversify instream habitat. Large woody debris is something that many of our streams lack.

 

[troutbert]

I agree about the importance of large woody debris in our streams. And in the article the author shows a photo of large woody debris, and says it's a good thing, that it provides good habitat.

But it seems to me that the article contains a contradiction, because the de-brushing recommended will keep the vegetation in mostly an early successional state, and reduce the amount of large woody debris supplied to the stream.

The source of large woody debris is from large mature trees.

 

[Tups]

TB: I believe he is promoting the de-brushing technique specifically to the lowland spring creeks of Wisconsin. His last 2 slides show a model of successional development of such a creek, in which, at a later stage of development, the overhanging turf and undercuts provide the overhead cover necessary to trout. The constricted channel resulting from the encroaching turf keeps the gravel beds swept clean of silt. He argues that, once the forest canopy develops, the channel constriction provided by the turf is lost and the stream is more likely to widen over time, resulting in a loss of cover and an accumulation of silt.

 

[Chaz]

Perkiomen Valley T. U. has always used an approach based on restoring banks through the natural process.For nearly 40 years we've been mostly planting trees and shrubs along the banks of the Perkiomen and its tributaries. There were a couple of exceptions. The trees are growing the channels are narrowing and the trout population everywhere we worked is growing.
All of our work has focused on the wild trout sections.