Taking Large Wood Out And Putting It Back In Again: Scientific

Transcript

Taking large wood out and putting it back in again: scientific credibility and social context Jesse Ford, Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Court Smith, Department of Anthropology Fisheries & Wildlife Seminar, May 24, 2006 Acknowledgments Support from the National Science Foundation, Biocomplexity in the Environment and EPA Water and Watersheds Program Thanks to Gary Blanchard Carl Bond Homer Campbell Dwayne Coop Jim Fairchild Jim Hall Woody Holderman Frances Ives Art Oakley Bob Phillips Bill Saltzman K.C. VanNatta With help from Lorraine Hetschel and Shane Fishburne Interpretations, presentation, associations, confusion, and errors are solely our responsibility. “…, by the 1970s, „75, Fish and Wildlife used to have all the logging operations … absolutely clean all the creeks. The reason I know this, my husband would come home and say, „We have to hang guys with ropes over the banks to pick up the sticks and the twigs and everything.‟ So all your streams were bare of all woody debris. Now they‟re putting it all back. What scientific basis is this based on? Has there been any studies done, or is it just that they figured they were doing something wrong and they needed to change it?” [PI, real estate] Moon Creek 1961 Stan Gregory quoting Jim Hall and Cal Baker conclusion at September 1975 conference on logging debris at OSU Timber Harvest Context Oregon Timber Harvest Volume adapted from Bourhill 1994 Rivers as Roads Logging with Few Landscape Concerns Only Old Growth Mill & Splash Dams Logging at Will Load of Benson long logs (Benson 1971:76) From Dec 1950 Gharrett and Hodges 1950:30 The Problem Three (Continuing?) Strategies 1950 • Stream clearance and improvement • Artificial propagation and supplementation • Regulation of commercial fisheries In 2000, can these be translated into—the 4 H’s? • habitat & hydro, • hatcheries, • harvest The results? A cautionary tale? Removal Principles 1. A documented barrier 2. Create significant spawning & rearing area 3. A history of fish use 4. Originally pristine stream conditions existed 5. Monitoring of results Need and Approach to Removal “With a steel rod, we could probe through this accumulation of woody debris, abandoned beaver dams, and many inches of silt, to reach gravel.” “… much of our stream work was not to remove a single „barrier‟ but rather to create favorable conditions for spawning and rearing …” Case Study: First Removal Project, Carcus Creek Simon Benson (1851-1942) Norwegian immigrant (1857) Moved to Oregon, logger (1877) Timber entrepreneur (1891-1911) • Cathlamet, WA • Cowlitz County, WA • Clatskanie, OR Philanthropist (1912-1922) • Portland drinking fountains • Benson Hotel • Benson Polytechnic • Columbia River Highway From (Benson 1971) (Benson 1971) Camp Nine incline (Benson 1971:74) From Merrell 1951:3 Carcus Creek Falls November 1999 Carcus Creek Before Carcus Creek After From T.R. Merrell, Stream Improvement as Conducted in Oregon on the Clatskanie River and Tributaries, 1951:4-5. Carcus Creek 1949, Above November 1999, Right Below Carcus Creek Falls, November 1999 End Part 1 • Coastal Rivers Woody Holderman Holderman collection Ca. 800 images (photos, slides) OSU archives “Typical erosion” 1949 Carcus Ck study before after Knowles Creek, Siuslaw R. ca. 1950 Pointer Shields 1961 Middle Creek, Coquille Pointer Shields 1961 Middle Creek, Coquille Pointer Shields 1961 Middle Creek, Coquille 1949 Carcus Ck study 60-40 CSI N. Fork, Trask 1963 Clear Ck trib to N. Fork, Trask 1961 Devil Lake Fork to Wilson River, 1964 Gravel Ck Drift Ck N Fk Siletz Falls Euchre Ck Holman Ck S Fk Buck Ck Siletz River Dec„64 FLOOD 1949 Carcus Ck study 60-40 CSI Trask River bridge 1965 before after Trib to S. Fork Alsea, 1966 Siletz River 1969 Siletz River Eagle Creek, NFK of Siletz 1971 Dec„64 FLOOD 1949 Carcus Ck study Forest 60-40 Practices CSI Act Buck Creek, Siletz 1972 (after: large logs left) Forest operators Game Commission(S) Fish Commission (N) “…<80-90 pcs…” Tualatin River 1972, not cleared by WH Coast range 1998 Fawcett Creek, Tillamook R. Coast range 2001 2001 * * * * ******** * * Dec„64 FLOOD 1949 Carcus Ck study 1975 OSU Symposium 60-40 Forest CSI Practices Act ** Don‟t notice what‟s not there Unless actually involved, memory of past issues may have mellowed May be able to help remedy by use of Holderman collection and similar tools Siletz River May 2006 Siltcoos Outlet