restoring woody plants on a constructed stream … · restoring woody plants on a constructed...
TRANSCRIPT
RESTORING WOODY PLANTS ON A
CONSTRUCTED STREAM CHANNEL
AT A HIGH ELEVATION ABANDONED
MINE IN IDAHO
2009 River Restoration Northwest
Stream Restoration Design Symposium
February 5, 2009
by Leonard Ballek
Herrera Environmental Consultants Inc.
Project Background
• Located near Yellow Pine, Idaho
• Mined from early 1900’s to late 1990’s
• About 3,000 acres
• Tailings dam failure resulted in tailings
deposition along Meadow Creek
Habitat Value
• Tributary to South Fork of Salmon River
Stibnite Mine
• New channel constructed in part of flood plain not
impacted by tailings
• Revegetation work conducted in September 2005
• Meadow Creek routed into new channel
• Stranded fish rescued and relocated to new
channel
• Old channel backfilled and revegetated
Project Scope
Challenges to Revegetating Site
• Remote location
• Poor Rocky Soils
• Short Growing Season and Droughty
Summers
• Fluctuating water table
• Big Game Browse Damage
• Short Work Window
Old Channel Through Tailings
New Meadow Creek Channel
Construction
Revegetation September 2005
• Grow and install 10,000 willow container plants
• Install 2,000 willow cuttings
• Salvage and plant 220 large willow clumps
• Spread woody debris on backfilled old stream channel and
floodplain to provide “safe sites” for seed germination.
• Spread compost and hydroseed
Willow Supply
• Willow container plants
– from local cuttings collected in spring 2005 grown in containers 3
inches by 14 inches deep
• Willow cuttings
– at least 4 ft long and ½ inch in diameter collected on site in
September 2005
• Willow clumps
- salvaged on site
- immediately planted on critical banks
Willow Container Plants
Salvaged Willow Clumps
Container Willow Planting
Loading Planter Magazine
Willow Cutting Installation
Planting Willow Clumps
Rescuing Stranded Fish From
Abandoned Channel
Rescued Fish
Filling Abandoned Channel
New Channel Background
Old Channel Filled and Seeded
Foreground
Revegetation Crew
Spring 2006
Inundation for over a month
Summer 2006
Summer 2007
Summer 2008
Rocky Mountain Browse Control
Results
• All plants are very slow growing because of the short season
• Container Plants 90% survival rate after three years
• Cuttings-
– survival not well monitored
– survival fair but much slower growth than container plants.
Results Continued
• Salvaged willow clumps
– 70% survival
– dormant salvage and trimming would have improved survival
• Wolves in the area preventing browse damage
• Fish and macro invertebrate populations have recovered
• Recreational fishing is now occurring on the restored reach of Meadow Creek
Lessons Learned
• Cost and effectiveness of salvaged willows at high elevation
• Value of deep containers and larger cuttings for survival
• Value of mechanized planting for cost savings, fast implementation and small work force.
• Importance of utilizing site adapted stock
Questions?