Vindel River LIFE Restoration of tributaries to the Vindel River Layman’s Report EC LIFE + programme LIFE08 NAT/S/000266 Responsible for content: Johanna Gardeström, Umeå University, +46 (0) 90 786 65 61, [email protected] Daniel Holmqvist, Lycksele municipality, +46 (0) 950 164 14, [email protected] Text editing (Swedish) and layout: Anders Esselin, Man & Nature, +46 (0)70 273 09 45, [email protected] Translation of text from Swedish to English: Språkservice Sverige AB Picture on cover: The tributary Gargån, restored with demonstration methods by Vindel River LIFE. Photo: Johanna Gardeström Print: Nya Tryckeriet i Lycksele 2 Content SUMMARY 4 TIMBER FLOATING CAUSED FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES 6 An enormous undertaking 7 Fundamental changes 8 Riparian forests 8 NEW WATERS ”MADE OLD” 11 Earlier restoration 11 Wide, winding streams 12 New ideas and new practices 13 Traditional best-practice restoration 13 Demonstration restoration 14 Excavators and hand tools 14 Pre-action modeling 16 New fish ladder 17 An appeal to all who fish in the Vindel River system 18 THE EFFECTS OF THE RESTORATION VARIES 20 Water flow 20 Riverside plants 21 Fish 22 Spawning beds 24 Species particularly worthy of protection 25 Time is crucial 26 MANY DIFFERENT INFORMATION CHANNELS 29 Information material and media 29 The Nature School 30 FACTS ABOUT VINDEL RIVER LIFE 31 Project owner 31 Project time 31 Project partners 31 Project budget 31 3 Summary he rivers in northern Sweden were used to he Vindel River LIFE project has removed transport timber even long before the 1800’s. 20 splash dams that were impeding fish TWhen timber floating was at its height, Tmigration, which has reopened over 250 ki- streams were radically transformed to make it lometers of rapids. A large number of side-channels easier to transport the logs: splash dams were built, that were closed off during the time of timber float- rocks and boulders were removed from the water, ing have also been reopened. Together, these two and levees and high banks concentrated the flow initiatives have improved conditions for migrating into narrow channels. Previously diverse environ- salmon and trout and also enabled other animals ments became more uniform, reducing the ability of and plants to spread more easily. stream-dwelling fish such as brown trout, grayling and salmon to migrate and spawn. he demonstration restorations have clear effects on hydrology: flow velocity has ork on restoring the streams in the Vindel Tdecreased and currents have become more River system started soon after timber variable. The streams have also become wider. It Wfloating ceased in 1976. Initially, resto- appears that the demonstration restoration leads to ration focused on providing anglers with attractive more plant types finding places in the riparian zone fishing locations, but as time progressed, ideas where they can establish themselves. Tributaries changed and the emphasis today is on creating a where there were fish before the restoration work good environment for fish as well as other aquatic are now homes to even more fish. However, in ar- organisms. eas where fish had been wiped out, recovery seems to take more time. indel River LIFE is the biggest restoration project in the Vindel River catchment to Vdate. The project has restored 26 tributaries in the Vindel River system, with the aim of re-es- tablishing a more diverse aquatic habitat similar to that which existed before the onset of timber floating. The project has involved both traditional best-practice restoration and more advanced resto- ration (demonstration restoration). 4 Västerbotten county Vindel River Natura 2000 area Traditional restoration (best-practice) More advanced restoration and/or removing of splash dams (demonstration restoration) Gargån1 Stenträskbäcken Gargån Hjuksån1 Giertsbäcken Hjuksån Bjurbäcken1 Kulbäcken Bjurbäcken Beukabäcken1 Arvån Beukabäcken Kvarnbäcken2 Sikbäcken Abmobäcken Sågbäcken2 Storkvarnbäcken Olsbäcken Ruskträskbäcken Nackbäcken Mattjockbäcken Vormbäcken Mösupbäcken1 Rågobäcken Åman Olsbäcken1 Mösupbäcken Akersbäcken Jacksbäcken Falåströmsbäcken Ribbikbäcken Holmforsen och Krok- forsen i Vindeälven 1Traditional and more advanced restoration in different parts of the tributary 2Removal of splash dam only 5 Timber floating caused fundamental changes In Sweden, timber floating began in the Middle Ages. Around the middle of the 19th century, the forests started to be exploited in earnest, and this involved the expansion of the floatway system. Action taken to make floating more efficient brought about fundamental changes to the hydrol- ogy and ecology of the watercourses and significant envi- ronmental damage. With its many tributaries, the Vindel River is a wild a great deal to a great many people. Today, the river and vital artery through the Västerbotten landscape. is both a Natura 2000 area and a Ramsar site. The The river rises on the northern flank of Mount river is also one of Sweden’s four, free-flowing Sarvestjåkkå on the border with Norway and merg- national rivers, protected under national legisla- es with the Ume River in Vännäsby, about 40 kilo- tion and recognized as being of national interest in meters upstream of the Gulf of Bothnia. Between terms of nature conservancy, outdoor recreation, these two points, it flows freely for 450 kilometers cultural heritage and reindeer husbandry. past inland forests, through stretches of rapids and The Vindel River has also served as an important calmer waters. transport route, especially during the timber float- Throughout history, the Vindel River has meant ing era. Up until the start of 19th century, there was very little logging, and the timber trade was small in scale, but around the middle of that century the Natura 2000 is the centerpiece of EU nature & biodiversity policy. forests started to be exploited in earnest. Logs from It is an EU-wide network of nature protection areas. The aim of the inland forests needed to be transported to the the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe’s most saw mills and paper mills on the coast, and the only valuable and threatened species and habitats. way to do this was to float them down the river. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that pro- Thus the expansion of the floatways also paved the vides the framework for national action and international coop- eration for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their way for the breakthrough and rapid growth of the resources. forestry industry in the 19th century. 6 Timber floating in a tributary to the Vindel River. Source: Folkrörelse- arkivet, Umeå For over a hundred years, floating was practically way through the landscape between rocks, boulders the only way timber could be transported, but from and fallen trees. It was easy for the timber to get the early 1960’s onwards timber was more and stuck and form log jams that were expensive and more transported by road. In 1976, timber floating dangerous to unblock. on the Vindel River ceased completely. So at the end of the 19th century the floatway The timber floating era is a significant part of network was extended by reshaping the Vindel our cultural heritage. At the time, timber floating Rivers tributaries so that they more resembled was very important to the people living along the straight canals than naturally winding streams. river valley. Farmers often eked out their income Boulders and bedrock were blown up and trees and by working on the floatways. Many of those living rocks were cleared away. Various types of stone in the river valley today still remember the timber piers were erected in the rapids of the main river to floating days and the hustle and bustle it created channel the timber in the right direction, and splash along the river. dams and flumes were also built in the tributaries. As the volume of timber increased, more effec- An enormous undertaking tive methods were used to clear the floatways. By the 1950’s excavators were being deployed and The Vindel River and its tributaries were in many many stretches of rapids were scraped completely ways ideal for floating timber, but there was room clean of stones and gravel. for improvement. A natural watercourse winds its Timber floating affected practically all the 7 By the 1950’s exca- vators were being deployed and many stretches of rapids were scraped com- pletely clean of stones and gravel. Source: Folkrörelse- arkivet, Umeå streams below the mountains of northern and cen- essential for fish spawning, and also removed the tral Sweden. The main river and tributaries of the grass, leaves and twigs that are the basis of the food Vindel River system were subjected to wholesale webs in the streams. Dams in the floatways closed clearing for timber floating. When timber floating off migration and dispersal routes for many species, was at its peak in the 1930’s and 1940’s, the area and the closing off of side channels removed large had at least 140 dams and 1,600 kilometers of chan- areas of potential habitats for animals and plants. nelized floatways. Riparian forests Fundamental changes Before the forestry industry and timber floating The changes to the streams to facilitate floating took off, there were large, untouched areas of forest brought about fundamental changes to the hydrolo- along the river margins. Trees that blew over or gy and ecology of the streams. It caused enormous died fell into the water. These riparian forests were damage to the natural environment and signifi- the first to be cut down when floating got under- cantly restricted the habitat of plants and animals way. This was partly because they were close to the both in the streams and in the surrounding area. water, which made it easy to transport the timber, Channelized streams lack appropriate habitats for and partly because these areas of forest hindered many aquatic and riparian plants and animals.