Finney Cr, a Skagit R. Tributary, Gets a Second Chance with Wood Placement - Fish Habitat Improves

What is it about?

Fish habitat in Finney Creek suffered from the effects of intensive forest management: a shallow channel with mobile sediment and wood. Floating ballasted wood structures were added to reestablish hydraulic conditions that create quality fish habitat and lower water temperature. This paper describes the design, placement and monitoring of the in-stream structures. Monitoring shows natural processes add wood to the structures; habitat complexity is increasing and stream temperatures dropping.

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Why is it important?

This paper demonstrates the amount of time and resources necessary for successful stream restoration. Ten years of road stabilization and decommissioning followed by ten years of channel work is a testament to the complexity of the physical processes involved and the restoration effort required to reverse decades of damage. Flexible wood structures work with natural stream processes better than rigid designs.