Implementation of Large Wood Projects to

Affect Hydrogeomorphic Conditions that

Benefit Salmonids and Aquatic Ecosystems:
Examples from Northern California

Rocco Fiori - Fiori GeoSciences

Sarah Beesley - Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Lower Klamath Division
Aaron Marton - Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Trinity River Division
David "DJ" Bandrowski - Trinity River Restoration Program
Joel Benegar - US Army Corps Of Engineers
Thomas Dunklin - homas B.Dunk n Productions
Background - Habitat Response to Wood Depletion

Major Cause of Aquatic Ecosystem Dysfunction

Conversion of Valuable Low Gradient

Habitats to Gravel Wastelands & Bowling Alleys
Standard Approach to Address the Loss of Instream Wood:
Northern California

Typical Instream Structures - Small Streams

Standard Approach to Address the Loss of Instream Wood:

Northern California

Low Flow High Flow

Typical Instream Structures - Large Streams

Bio-Geomorphc Based Approach

Constructed Wood Jams

Key Principles
Mimic Architecture, Location & Spacing of Natural
Wood Jams Using Reference Conditions as a Guide

Canoe Creek - Humboldt Redwoods State Parks

Key Principles
Establish Key Jams First

Whole Tree Materials Preferred

Limit or Avoid the Use of Quarry Rock
Periodically Add Mobile Wood Until Natural Sources are Self Maintaining
Wood Sources - Slash Pile Salvage

Wood Sources - Road Decommissioning

Wood Sources - Whole Tree Logging

Wood Transportation

Wood Transportation

Off Road Construction - McGarvey Creek

Water Quality Management - Small Streams

Water Quality Management - Large Streams & Rivers

Setting Posts and Piles

Setting Posts and Piles

Engineered Log Jams - TeMer Creek

ELJ 1 - Post

Construction

Terwer Creek
First Winter
Post-Project

Side Channe

Integrated Use of ELJs & BioEngineering

Terwer Creek, Lower Klamath River
McGarvey Creek Site #25 During Construction

First Winter Post-Project

McGarvey Creek Site #15
I .. ',iY __
McGarvey Creek - Alcove 1

Facilitating & Maintaining

...
Floodplain Connectivity
Helicopter Assisted Wood Loading - Tectah Creek

Tectah Creek
Site #20 - During Project

27 000 Pound
1

Tan Oak with Rootwad

Post-LWD Following
Placement High Flows
Tectah Creek Post-LWD Placement
Site #18 Pre-Project

Following

High

Flows

EF Mill Creek
Mobile Wood Loading
..
Site #9 - East Fork Mill Creek - High Flow ( Low Flow Comparison

Flood Flow - March 16) 2009

East Fork Mill Creek - Site #9 Opposing Jam

Habitat Changes Related to Large Wood Loading

Site 9 Complex Opposing

SHDI:O.45
_Largo Wood
Medium .and Larve Wood Pool Depth:O.64m
Racked Largo and Medlum Wood
Small Woody Debris
- Crou Seettol\$
D8and
Gravel
Cobb 10
_Boulder

-'56
S1ft 9 After (2009)
32

32 -
Rlpfap rOt h Of C I bd .Clonlng

xsso
a
,--I
a 20 M ers
--'1
r
V
SHDI:2.12
Pool Depth:l.82m
East Fork Mill Creek - Site #9 Opposing Jam

Site 9 Long Profile

102.5

102.0

101.5

101.0

E 100.5 ... ..........- -- ..

~.

c
0
.....................
.-It . . . . . -.~...........
';
~
100.0 ----
>
~
w 99.5 ....... 2008 Summer Lo\'! Flow

- - 2008 Thalwag
99.0 .. ~ 2009 Summer Low Flow
- 2009 Thalwag
98.5 - March. 16 2009 High Water amengtn
---&- Dec 28. 2008 High Flow
98.0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Distance Downstream (m)

Cross action 60 lCl311

Cross Section 69 Cross Section 70
'Ot

o
0'0
-2008 -2009
! 101 I !
jloo~
1'coo
~ lalO

1'-0 W
a o 0 5 10 150 <0
M1UIr.... 1rIl (m)
 Habitat Changes Related to Large Wood Loading

30% Percent Wood Cover 2.0 Residual 001 Depth.

25% -
E
1.8
1.6 y = O. 92x -+ 0.2315
// s=
Q. 1.4
R = 0.50
C

/
20%
y:;; O.OD54x .. 0.0012 1.2

R' = 0.8585
'0
o 1.0
15% a..
.8

/'
10% \ ......../

5% . / .
0.4
0.2
I
o%l~
0.0
o 20 40 60
o 10 20 30 40 50
Total Volume Wood (m 3 )
Volun ~ Wood W'llhin ,Active Channe-l(m~)

0.7
Gravel Storage 3 Habitat .eterogeneity
0.6

-E
c
0
".0:;
0,5

0.4
I'I:l
'tJ
I'I:l
"-
en 0,3
DI
0.2
y = O.0101x + 0.0173
y = 0.0283)( .... 0.70
R 2 = 0.72
R' = 0.6-4
0,1

0.0
0
. 20 40 60 o
o

20 40 60
Total Volume Wood (m 3 ) Total Wood Volume (m 3 )
Juvenile Coho Sa mon Summer Population
Estimates Mill Creek Watershed, Smith River
California

Q) 4000 ....
..............
I "'.
"

4500 - . - - - - - - - -.. . . . .- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .

....... WBMC

~
~
3500 .: : .
,.
....... EFMC

.n -
#

I
3000.. I
,.. Q) I

.... I

.-(5 =
E 2500'
. I
I ... ..# . "'''~''''
I'.

~ ~ 2000 . '. I
I
I " .
::Itt:
g- - ..
.., '-1
1500 . ..
I

a..
J: 1000." I
VJ ~.
I

u::: 500 - I

o
-+-,-------.---_--------r--------'t---.------~

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

Adapted from ,McCloud and Howard 2010

Thank You