God's Valley IV
Summary:
The project for Phase IV is located on an unnamed tributary of
God’s Valley Creek, which will be identified as Trib
A. God’s Valley and associated tributaries are
designated as a salmon anchor habitat area by ODFW, and
listed as having high intrinsic potential under the
Coastal Coho Conservation Plan.
Trib A was lacking in-stream large woody debris
resulting in little diversity of habitat types and
cover. The low diversity of habitat types and lack of
cover and refuge from winter high flows limits the
production of juvenile salmon. The lack of in-stream
large wood results from a riparian zone dominated by
alder. Riparian areas dominated by alder are a result of
historical land use practices. Short-lived alder
rapidly deteriorate after falling. Conifers, primarily
Douglas Fir and occasional Sitka Spruce, represented
less than 5% of the trees in the reference area and
project reach.
Through this project, we addressed the
above-mentioned issues by placing 21 large wood
structures in the stream and on the floodplain over a
0.6 mile length of Trib. A. The 21 structures
included a total of 159 key logs and 60 secondary
pieces, which we placed using an excavator and D7
cat. Additionally, we planted 800 Western hemlock,
2000 Sitka spruce, and 1500 Western hemlock along 1.1
miles of stream, including the large wood project area,
and equipment corridors utilized for access.
Status: Completed
April
2009
Partners:
Longview Timber, Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife,
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, Native Plant Coop