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Large Woody Debris Information in KRIS Gualala 

Riparian Information in KRIS Gualala

KRIS Web Background Pages: Big Wood

The amount of large wood which has been removed from the Gualala River by stream clearance projects aimed at fish passage has not been quantified. According to Higgins (1997): Numerous California Department of Fish and Game stream surveys in the 1960’s and 1970’s called for clearance of debris jams as well as riparian restoration. A great many stream clearance projects were carried out, while riparian recovery occurred mainly as a result of natural processes. Logjam removal was thought to benefit fish passage and continued until about 1985." One study of large wood availability in Gualala tributaries was carried out by Coastal Forestlands (1997), which referenced large wood availability to control streams in Washington. See discussions in Riparian Information in KRIS Gualala Background page on condition of riparian stands and prospective recruitment of large wood to stream channels.

The image at left shows that all stream reaches surveyed by Coastal Forestlands in 1997 except Fuller Creek are deficient with regard to large woody debris when compared to targets from old growth forests in Washington (Timber, Fish and Wildlife targets). The Assessment of Aquatic Conditions in the Mendocino Coast Hydrologic Unit (CRWQCB, 2001) ascribes the lack of wood to historic and recent riparian timber harvest and points out that TFW targets are from Douglas fir forests and likely lower than those for redwood.

Coastal Forestlands, Ltd. 1997. Watershed and Aquatic Wildlife Assessment. Willits, CA.

Higgins, P.T. 1997. Gualala River Watershed Literature Search and Assimilation. Funded by the Coastal Conservancy under contract to Redwood Coast Land Conservancy. Gualala, CA. 59 pp.

Keithley, C. 1999. Evaluating Stream and Watershed Conditions in Northern California. Prepared for the California Department of Forestry, Fire and Resource Assessment Program. Sacramento, CA. 17 pp. 

Schuett-Hames, D., A.E. Pleus, J. Ward, M. Fox, and J. Light. 1999.  TFW Monitoring Program method manual for the large woody debris survey. Prepared for the Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources under the Timber, Fish, and Wildlife Agreement. TFW-AM9-99-004. DNR #106. 66 pp.

Stillwater Sciences. 1997. A review of coho salmon life history to assess potentially limiting factors and the implications of historical removal of large woody debris in coastal Mendocino County. Prepared by Stillwater Sciences, Berkeley CA for Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Wildlife and Fisheries Science Group, Forest Resources & Fiber Procurement Division. May 1997. 55 pp