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A New Look at the Quantities and Volumes of Instream Wood in Forested Basins Within Washington State

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A New Look at the Quantities and Volumes of Instream Wood in Forested Basins Within Washington State A New Look At The Quantities And Volumes of Instream Wood In Forested Basins Within Washington State Martin J. Fox A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science University of Washington 2001 College of Forest Resources University of Washington Graduate School This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a master’s thesis by Martin J. Fox and have found that it is complete and satisfactory on all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Committee Members: In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master’s degree at the University of Washington, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of this thesis is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Any other reproduction for any purposes or by any means shall not be allowed without my written permission. University of Washington Abstract A New Look At The Quantities And Volumes of Instream Wood In Forested Basins Within Washington State Martin J. Fox Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Loveday Conquest Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Instream wood is recognized as an important feature linked to channel processes that benefit salmonids. Stream channel assessments and restoration/enhancement efforts often associate salmon habitat quality with the quantity and volume of woody debris. Existing wood targets used to assist resource managers do not adequately account for variations in quantity or volume due to differences in geomorphology, ecoregions, or disturbance regimes. To address this issue, field data on instream wood quantities and volumes from 150 stream segments draining unmanaged basins within Washington State (without logging, roads, dams, or other human-induced condition that may influence natural wood loading and retention rates) are used to develop target suggestions for management. Based on the assumption that streams draining unmanaged forest basins incorporate the range of conditions to which salmonids and other species have adapted, wood loads in these systems provide a defensible reference for management. Surveyed sites represent a wide array of geomorphic channel types, channel origins, natural disturbances, and climate regions where the process of wood input and distribution has most likely evolved under a natural rate of disturbance, with the exception of potential fire suppression. Analyses of these data imply that the most consistent predictor of wood volumes and quantities is bankfull width (as a function of basin size) and ecoregion. Wood quantity, volume, and mean piece size increased with channel size due to the increased proclivity for fluvial transport and spatial accretion, along with greater lateral area for wood to accumulate. Forest stand characteristics such as stem density and diameter are influenced by distinctive climates particular to each ecoregion, which in turn influence the size and quantity of instream wood. Percentile distributions describe the range of wood quantities and volumes in streams draining unmanaged basins by discrete bankfull width classes for three distinguishable ecoregion groups. The data also support expanded definitions for minimum volumes of “Key Pieces.” Due to both favorable and adverse conditions comprising wood loading ranges; we suggest that the 75th percentiles in each bankfull width class and ecoregion should be used to represent the lower limit for optimum wood quantities and volumes as an index of habitat quality. i Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................IV LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... VII 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. THE IMPORTANCE OF INSTREAM WOOD........................................................................... 1 1.2. POTENTIAL SOURCES OF VARIATION FOR INSTREAM WOOD............................................ 1 1.2.1. Geomorphological Influences................................................................................. 2 1.2.2. Anthropogenic Influence......................................................................................... 2 1.2.3. Natural Disturbance ............................................................................................... 3 1.2.4. Riparian Influence .................................................................................................. 4 1.2.5. Regional Influence .................................................................................................. 5 1.3. WOOD AS AN INDICATOR OF HABITAT QUALITY.............................................................. 7 1.3.1. Perspectives in Units Used To Quantify Wood Loading ........................................ 8 1.4. USE OF WOOD TARGETS FOR STREAM EVALUATION, ENHANCEMENT, AND RESTORATION 8 1.5. POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH EXISTING MANAGEMENT TARGETS ................................... 9 1.6. OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................... 9 2. METHODS .......................................................................................................................... 10 2.1. SITE SELECTION............................................................................................................. 10 2.1.1. Criteria.................................................................................................................. 10 2.1.2. Geomorphological Representation ....................................................................... 10 2.1.3. Ecoregion Representation..................................................................................... 11 2.1.4. Random Design..................................................................................................... 11 2.2. FIELD METHODS ............................................................................................................ 12 2.2.1. The TFW Monitoring Program Method Manual .................................................. 12 2.2.2. Additions and Modifications to the TFW-MPMM ................................................ 12 2.2.3. Riparian Surveys................................................................................................... 13 2.2.4. Disturbance Identification .................................................................................... 14 2.2.5. Verification of Gradient and Confinement ........................................................... 16 2.2.6. Quality Assurance/Quality Control ...................................................................... 16 2.3. METHODS OF ANALYSIS................................................................................................. 16 2.3.1. Data Handling ...................................................................................................... 16 2.3.2. Choice of Units for Characterizing Wood Loads ................................................. 17 2.3.3. Choice of Geomorphic Expression ....................................................................... 17 2.4. METHODS TO CHARACTERIZE RIPARIAN TIMBER BY ECOREGION.................................. 18 2.5. GROUPING THE SITKA SPRUCE AND WESTERN HEMLOCK FOREST REGIONS ................. 18 2.6. METHODS TO ANALYZE PROCESS AND TRENDS............................................................. 19 2.6.1. Geomorphological Influences............................................................................... 19 2.6.2. Influences by Channel Disturbance...................................................................... 19 2.6.3. The Selection of Predictor Variables.................................................................... 21 i ii 2.7. METHODS TO TEST THE ADEQUACY OF EXISTING WOOD TARGETS............................... 21 2.7.1. The NMFS Targets................................................................................................ 22 2.7.2. The Washington Forest Practices Board targets.................................................. 22 2.8. METHODS TO DEVELOP REFERENCES FOR INSTREAM WOOD......................................... 23 2.8.1. General Trends ..................................................................................................... 23 2.8.2. Defining Minimum Key Piece Volumes ................................................................ 23 2.8.3. Combining Ecoregions.......................................................................................... 24 2.8.4. Delineation of Bankfull Width Classes ................................................................. 25 2.8.5. Defining Wood Targets......................................................................................... 25 3. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 27 3.1. SITE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................. 27 3.2. SITE DISTRIBUTION........................................................................................................ 27 3.3. ECOREGION BOUNDARIES..............................................................................................
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