Improving habitat, water quality goals of state forest stream enhancement projects
Clatsop State Forest—The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) completed a stream enhancement project on Rock Creek in the Clatsop State Forest this summer to improve stream habitat and water quality.
“The goal of this project was to restore natural stream processes and instream complexity by placing large wood into the stream channel to improve spawning and rearing habitat, fish production, and water quality,” said Erik Moberly, Aquatic and Riparian Specialist for ODF’s State Forest Division. “The trees, some with root wads attached, that were placed will help influence the formation of pools, spawning gravels, and provide cover for aquatic species.”
Rock Creek is a tributary to the Nehalem River in Clatsop County and is home to several anadromous fish species—fish that live in saltwater but migrate to fresh water to spawn—including Endangered Species Act-listed Coho salmon, fall Chinook, winter steelhead and Pacific lamprey. Cutthroat trout and other native fish species are also found in Rock Creek.
Trees for the project were selected from an adjacent timber sale based on size and stream characteristics and staged near the placement sites. An excavator operated by Bighorn Logging out of Banks, Oregon, was used to move the trees into the stream. The placements were originally planned to be implemented with a cable yarder, but Stimson Lumber agreed to provide access to their road network resulting in more precise placement of the logs.
A total of 30 trees were used across five sites, resulting in enhancements to approximately 1,000 feet of stream. Project costs were around $5,000, excluding the staff time to plan and implement the project.
“Mike Morton, a road specialist from the Forest Grove District, administered the contract from a nearby timber sale where the trees originated from and assisted with the project to help keep costs down,” said Moberly. “With the trees already being felled and operators on-site it’s a commonsense approach. We also partner with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, private landowners and operators, and in many cases non-profit groups like local watershed councils.”
The goal is to enhance Oregon’s state forests for all its residents.
“State Forest lands are actively managed under forest management plans to provide economic, environmental, and social benefits to Oregonians,” said Moberly. “Projects like these positively impact all three of those goals.”
For more on Oregon’s State Forests see the ODF website.
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Large pieces of wood are placed in the streambed of Rock Creek in Clatsop State Forest to improve habitat for fish and other wildlife. The project was completed in conjunction with a contract timber sale to reduce costs. The excavator, run by an operator from Bighorn Logging, placed 30 trees into the stream at five locations.
The trees, some with root wades still attached, will help influence the formation of pools, spawning gravels, and provide cover for aquatic species.
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