California Riparian HabitatRestoration Handbook

Second EditionJuly 2009

F. Thomas Griggs, Ph.D., Senior Restoration Ecologist

River Partnerswww.RiverPartners.org

Aerial view of riparian restoration in progress at the Drumheller Slough Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Tom Griggs, River Partners.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page i

California Partners in Flight (CalPIF) initiated the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture (RHJV) project in 1994. To date, eighteen federal, state and private organizations have signed the landmark Cooperative Agreement to protect and enhance habitats for native landbirds throughout California. The RHJV, modeled after the successful Joint Venture projects of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, reinforces other collaborative efforts currently underway which protect biodiversity and enhance natural resources as well as the human element they support. River Partners is a RHJV partner. The RHJV partners identified a need for guidelines for planning and implementing riparian restoration projects on the ground. In 2007 the RHJV convened a group of restoration experts for a workshop to produce a handbook of restoration strategies, standards and guidelines – the birth of this handbook. The goal is to provide practitioners, regulators, land managers, planners, and funders with basic strategies and criteria to consider when planning and implementing riparian conservation projects. The following pages will cover issues such as:

The handbook should be used for planning projects, creating budgets, and assessing restoration success. One aim is to provide a common language for riparian restoration, appropriate planning of projects and effective restoration on the ground. Ecological, biological, and regulatory components of a riparian restoration project are described. Additional resources of riparian restoration project support are provided including web-links and reference articles. Case studies of statewide riparian restoration projects that faced site specific conditions illustrate implementation of the principles presented in this handbook. This will be a living document that will be revised to include new information as it becomes available. This second version was revised in June 2009 (the first edition was completed in September 2008).This handbook emphasizes the ecological river processes operating on floodplains and in river channels that create characteristic vegetation structure that forms wildlife habitat - as the foundation for planning a riparian restoration project. The goal of these guidelines is to explain the proposal/planning process for a site-specific riparian restoration project for wildlife habitat to the first-time as well as the experienced restoration project manager.

Riparian Habitat Joint Venture Goal Statement for Handbook

Riparian Habitat Joint Venture Board of Directors

John Carlon, River PartnersCheryl Carrothers, USFS, Pacific Southwest RegionTony Chappelle, Wildlife Conservation BoardEric Gillies, California State Lands Commission

Geoffrey R. Geupel, PRBO Conservation ScienceBarbara E. Kus, USGS Western Ecological Research CenterCatrina Martin, US Fish and Wildlife Service Myrnie Mayville, Bureau of ReclamationTom Moore, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Tom Pagacnik, Bureau of Land ManagementMichael Perrone, Department of Water ResourcesChris Potter, California Resources Agency Kevin Shaffer, CA Department of Fish and GameErik Vink, The Trust for Public Land

Contact: Scott Clemons, SClemons@dfg.ca.gov. (916) 445-1072

What are the fundamental ecological criteria to consider for producing quality restoration on the ground?How can a restoration project be designed to meet key goals AND provide wildlife habitat?What partnerships, permits, tools and resources are required to implement a restoration project?

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Which field methods should be used to ensure the greatest success given a site’s soils and hydrologic setting?What works and doesn’t work in restoration?When and how should the restoration project be monitored to continue refining restoration techniques?

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Funding for this Handbook was provided by:

Resources Legacy Fund FoundationS. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

F. Thomas Griggs, Ph.D., Senior Ecologist at River Partners developed the first draft of this Handbook.Meghan Gilbart, Irvine Restoration Fellow at River Partners, researched and compiled the June 2009 edition of this Handbook.Layout and design by Tempra Board & Associates.

The following individuals reviewed an early draft of the handbook in the fall of 2007:

Kris Vyverberg – California Department of Fish and GameAndrea Jones – National Audubon SocietyVance Russell – National Audubon SocietyMichael Perlmotter – National Audubon SocietyStacy Small – Environmental Defense FundKevin Shaffer – California Department of Fish and GameGeoffrey Geupel – PRBO Conservation Science

The following attended a workshop to review the first draft in April 2008:

John Anderson – Hedgerow FarmsJohn Carlon – River PartnersAnn Chrisney – RHJV CoordinatorScott Clemons – Wildlife Conservation Board Greg Golet – The Nature ConservancyJames Jones – East Bay MUDBarbara Kus – USGSLaurel Marcus – California Land Stewardship InstitutePeter Perrine – Wildlife Conservation BoardKent Reeves – Yolo County Department of Parks and ResourcesJohn Stanley – Founder of Society for Ecological RestorationNelia White – California Land Stewardship Institute

Restoration on the Drumheller Slough Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Tom Griggs.

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Acknowledgements

I. Introduction 1A. Audience B. Geographical FocusC. How to use this Handbook

II. Riparian Restoration Overview 2A. The Value of Riparian HabitatB. Riparian DeclineC. Riparian RestorationD. MitigationE. Setting Goals and Planning Restoration

III. Ecology of a River 8A. Physical River Processes 1. Watershed Area and Elevation 2. Watershed Geology 3. Channel Slope 4. Regional Climate and the Hydrograph B. Plant Response to Physical Processes C. Wildlife Response to Vegetation Structure

IV. Human Impacts on Riparian Systems 15 A. Altered River Processes 1. Dams 2. Levees 3. Bank Stabilization 4. Water Diversions B. Altered Geomorphology 1. Gravel Mining on Floodplains and In-stream 2. Land-leveling for Agriculture

Riparian restoration along Bear River in the Feather River watershed. Photo by Tom Griggs, River Partners.

Table of Contents

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C. Land Use Conversion 1. Agriculture 2. Livestock Grazing 3. Logging 4. Urbanization

V. Restoration Planning Process 19A. Flow-Chart of Planning Process and ExplanationB. Tools for Planning

VI. Design Objectives 24A. Objective 1: The Local Community 1. Flood Damage Reduction 2. Water Quality and Supply 3. Recreation and Public Use 4. Watershed BenefitsB. Objective 2: The Horticultural Potential 1. Soils a. Texture and Stratification b. Depth to Water Table c. Nutrients in Soils d. Irrigation Methods 2. Hydrology, Flood Frequency and Geomorphology 3. Plant Material for PropagationC. Objective 3: Designing the Plant Association 1. Conceptual Model of Riparian Plant Succession 2. Climate Change and RestorationD. Objective 4: Habitat Structure for Wildlife 1. Planting Design for Wildlife Structure 2. Improving Mitigation Design 3. Non-native Invasive Plants

VII. Monitoring Riparian Restoration Projects 31A. Implementation MonitoringB. Measuring “Restoration Success” 1. The Contract Level 2. Horticultural Success 3. Wildlife Use as Restoration Success 4. Mitigation SuccessC. Post-project, Long-term Evaluations

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VIII. Permits 36 A. Pre-project Approval Permits 1. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 2. Encroachment Permit 3. Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement (1600) 4. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (404) 5. Water Quality Certification (401) 6. Archeological Survey 7. County Land Use Conversion Ordinances 8. Voluntary Neighbor Agreements 9. Endangered Species ConsultationB. Implementation permits 1. Burn permits 2. Well-drilling permits 3. Herbicide permits

IX. Coordination of Permits, Regulations, and Activities 39 A. Central Valley Flood Protection Board Encroachment PermitsB. Title 23 WatersC. DWR Flood Management DivisionD. Army Corps O&M GuidelinesE. Levee and Reclamation Districts’ ResponsibilitiesF. Regional and County OrganizationsG. Endangered Species Act ConsiderationsH. Adjacent and Neighboring Landuse 1. Agriculture 2. UrbanizationI. Different Definitions of Restoration in Labor Laws 1. Worker’s Compensation 2. Prevailing Wage 3. Agricultural Labor Law 4. U.S. Department of Agriculture 5. California Department of Pesticide Regulation 6. Wildlife Conservation Board, U.S. Fish Wildlife Service, and California Department of Fish and Game 7. County Agencies

X. How to Build a Budget 43

XI. Technical Methods of Project Implementation 44List of Reasons Why Restoration Projects Fail

XII. Link to Glossary and References Cited 51

XIII. Appendices 56 Appendix 1. California Bioregional Restoration Considerations Appendix 2. Restoration Case Studies Appendix 3. Ecological and Landscape Considerations of Riparian Plants

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A. Audience TheintendedaudienceforthisCaliforniaRiparianRestorationHandbookisanyoneresponsibleforwritingaproposalforariparianrestorationproject,anyonebeginningtoplanandimplementtheproject,orthoseresponsibleforcomplianceandmitigationmonitoringofsuchaproject.Thishandbookexplainstheelementsofasite-specificriparianrestorationprojectthatmustbeaddressedinorderforaprojecttobesuccessful.

B. Geographic FocusRiverprocessesoperateonallsizesofriversfromthemajorriversof theworlddowntosmallrivuletsflowing throughamountainmeadow. Theareaoverwhich theyoperateand the timingof theireffectsvarythroughoutthebioregionsofthestate.Restorationobjectivesandrestorationpracticesarelikelytobedifferentonriversandfloodplainsdependingupontheirtopographicandclimaticsettings.ThematerialinthishandbookwasdevelopedprimarilyfromexperiencewithriversinCalifornia’sCentralValley,andisthereforemostapplicabletohabitatrestorationintheCentralValleyandonthefloodplainsofcoastalrivers.Manyof theconceptsareapplicable tootherbioregionsof thestate, thoughthetimingandmagnitudesof restoration taskswould likelybeverydifferent. Anoverviewof themajor restorationobjectivesastheyapplytootherbioregionsthroughoutCaliforniaisprovidedinAppendix1.CasestudiesofriparianrestorationprojectsoutsideoftheCentralValleycanbefoundinAppendix2.

C. How to Use This HandbookWhile this handbook is designed to assistwith projects from start to finish and to anticipate potentialchallenges,itshouldnotbeusedasarecipebookorwithoutotherresources.Theusershouldhaveaccesstolocal expertise concerning riverecology,fluvialgeomorphology,plant horticulture, flood-conveyanceandlocalwildlife.

Thishandbookdemonstrateshowto approach riparian restorationdesign from an ecologicalperspective specific to theprojectlocation.Thishandbookdescribestheexistingecologicalconditionsandphysicalprocessesatthewatershedlevelthatmustbeconsidered when developing anaccurate,site-specificrestorationplan thatwill successfullymeettargetedobjectives,withprioritygiventowildlifehabitat.

I. Introduction

The following handbooks contain additional information andresources for riparian restoration, and there are several othermanualsthataddressriparianrestorationmethodsthatshouldberesearchedforspecificregionsofthestate.

CDFG (California Department of Fish and Game),1998.CaliforniaSalmonidStreamHabitatRestorationManual(sectionVI).NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service),2007.StreamRestorationDesignNationalEngineeringHandbook,Part654.FISRWG(theFederal InteragencyStreamRestorationWorking Group), 1998. Stream Corridor Restoration:Principles,Processes,andPractices.CalPIF (California Partners in Flight), 2008.Bringing theBirdsBack:AGuidetoHabitatEnhancmentforBirdsintheSacramentoValley.

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California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 2

A. The Value of Riparian HabitatIntheRiparianBirdConservationPlan(RHJV2004),riparianreferstoareasthatare“transitionalbetweenterrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, providing linkages between water bodies and adjacent uplands andincludeportionsofterrestrialecosystemsthatsignificantlyinfluenceexchangesofenergyandmatterwithaquatic ecosystems”and theNationalResearchCouncil devotes an entire chapter todefining this term(NRC2002;RHJV2004). For thisHandbook, the definition of “riparian”will refer to land area thatencompassestheriverchannelanditscurrentorpotentialfloodplain.

The riparian zone is characterized by a unique set of physical ecological factors in comparison to thesurroundingregional landscape (Gregoryetal.1991). These factors includefloodingby the river, richandproductivesoils,awatertablethatiswithinreachofplantroots,andspeciesofplantsandwildlifethatareadaptedtothetimingoffluvialeventssuchasflooding,drought,sedimenttransportandchannelmovement.Thisdynamichabitatcreatesawidevarietyofgrowingconditionsforriparianplants,andovertimetheydevelopintovariousstructuralforms(forests,woodlands,shrublands,meadowsandgrasslands)acrossthefloodplain.TheheterogeneityofriparianforestscreatesnumeroushabitatfeaturesthatexplainwhyriparianforestsinCaliforniasupportagreaterdiversityofwildlifethananyotherhabitattype(Smith1980).Riparianvegetationalongriverchannelsalsofunctionsasprimaryregionalmigrationroutesformostwildlife.

Riparianecosystemssupportpeopleaswellaswildlife.Riversandtheirfloodplainsprovidemany“riverservices”tothesurroundinglocalcommunity.(Alsotermed“Multiplebenefits”byfloodwaymanagers.)Theseinclude:

ConveyanceanddeliveryofwatersupplyEffective conveyanceoffloodwaters–Native riparianplantson thefloodplain attenuatefloodwatersandtraplargedebris.Maintenance of water quality – A living river will improve water quality through biologicalprocessingofpollutantsandphysicalfilteringofsedimentsandorganicmaterial.Wildlifehabitatandregionalmigrationcorridor–Vegetatedfloodplainsprovidecoverforwildlifeduringmigration.RecreationOpportunities–Fishing,hunting,boating,andwildlifeviewingareenhancedbynativeriparianplants.

Riverservicesareoptimizedwhenariveranditsfloodplainarehealthy.Healthyriversarefreeofintensiveregulationsuchasdamsandrevetmentandtheirfloodplainssupportamosaicofplantcommunities.

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II. Riparian Restoration Overview

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B. Riparian DeclineTherichsoilsandpresenceofwaterthatmakeriparianareasbiologicallyrich,alsocreateproductivelandsforagricultureanddesirablelocationsforurbandevelopment.Inaddition,sedimentdepositionbyriversovertimehasprovidedopportunitiesforgravelmining.Thewaterthatflowsthroughriversisoftendammedand diverted for anthropogenic use andmost of the large rivers function as primaryflood conveyancestructureforthepurposeofhumansafety.Thesepracticeshaveremovedthemajorityofriparianhabitatavailabletowildlifeandpeopleandreducedtheabilityofriversandfloodplainstoprovideriverservices.Itisestimatedthat95percentofpre-EuropeanacresofriparianhabitatinCalifornia’sCentralValleyhavebeenlosttorecenthumanactivities(Katibah1984).

Transitionofsomeoftheselandsbacktoamorenaturalstatethroughriparianrestorationbenefitsboththeecologyandsocioeconomicsofaregion.Often,riversareseenonlyasameanstotransportwatertocitiesandfarms,orasanunpredictablesystemthatneedstobestraightenedandarmoredtopreventflooddamagetodevelopedareas.Healthyriversandfloodplainscanprotectdevelopedareasfromflooddamageandprovidewatertransportandotherservicestopeoplethatexceedthecostofreplicatingtheseservicesthroughhumaninfrastructure(APEC2005).

Nativeplantsareanecessarycomponentofhealthyriparianareas,andnotsimplybecauseoftheirimportancetonativewildlife.Vegetatedfloodplainsandtheorganismstheysupportcancleanwaterbyremovingthenutrientsthatrunofffromagriculturalfieldsandintodrinkingwatersupplies.Thepresenceofvegetationalsoaeratesthesoilandcreatesplacesforwatertoslowlypercolateundergroundtorechargeaquifersthatsupplywaterforurbanandagriculturaluses.Thedenseforestsalsooffershadyrespiteandrecreationalopportunitiesnotavailableindevelopedareas.

C. Riparian RestorationRiparianrestorationoccursatabroadrangeofscalesdependingon thesizeof theriver, theecologicalhealthofthesite,andtheregionallandscape.Thegoalsforarestorationprojectwillalsovary,fromfloodcontrol benefits to invasive species removal, but the project can still be designed tomaximize habitatavailabletowildlife.(SeeAppendix2forcasestudiesasexamples).Forexample,largeriversintheCentralValleyaremanagedtodayforirrigationwaterconveyanceandflood-damagecontrol.Allareconstrainedbylevees,withmanagementandmaintenanceresponsibilitiescarriedoutbylocal,state,andfederalagencies.Consequently,riverprocessesoperateonlywithinthefloodway(alegallydefinedstructure,oftenalevee-linedchannelthatisdesignedtoconveyaspecificmaximumflowduringfloodevents).Thefloodway’sprimarydesignconsiderationishumansafetyandcurrently,relativelylittleemphasisisgiventoriparianvegetationandhabitat function.However, riparianvegetationcanhavebeneficialflooddamagecontrolimpactsbyslowingbankerosion,directingflowsawayfromstructures,anddirectingsedimenttransport.Furthermore,thelocalinfluenceofrestoredriparianvegetationcanprovidebothfloodcontrolbenefitsandqualitywildlifehabitat.

Smallerrivers,suchasSierrafoothillsandCoastRanges,aretributariestothelargerriversofCalifornia’sCentralValleyandhavemuch smaller localizedfloodplains coveringmuch smaller areas than thoseoflarge,meanderingvalley rivers. On these tributaries, levees are typically protecting small areas (ratherthan regionalprotection).Theemphasisofhuman safety isusuallynot as strongon smaller rivers andinthiswayrestorationdesignisinfluencedbyriversize.Restorationonsmallriverstypicallyinvolvesmanipulation/restorationofchannelmorphologyandfloodplainelevation(e.g.,repairingabandonedopen-

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pitgravelmines).Inthesecases,earth-movementmaybealargepartoftheimplementationbudget(NRCS2007),withlessemphasisontheactualplantings.However,throughrestorationofriverprocessessuchasfloodingandsedimenttransport,eventuallynativevegetationwillestablishandsupportlocalwildlife.

Types of restoration. Theamountofhumaninputrequiredbyriparianrestorationwilldependonthesiteconditions.“Horticulturalrestoration”referstoahighlevelofsitemanagementandexternalhumaninputsthat includesitepreparation(land-leveling,disking),plantingofnursery-growntreesandshrubsinpre-designedpatterns,irrigation,andchemicalweed-controlforthreeormoreyears.Horticulturalrestorationisappropriatealongriverswheretheriver’sphysicalprocesseshavebeenseverelymodifiedbyhumanswithdams,levees,bankstabilization,andwaterdiversions.Attheotherextremeis“processrestoration,”whichstrivestoreestablishriverprocessesontothesite.Processrestorationisappropriateonripariansitesalongariverthatretainsfunctioningriverprocesses(e.g.nodams,andfewleveesorwaterdiversions).Processrestorationattemptstorestoreasitebyworkingwithexistingriverprocesses.Thismayinvolve,forexample,breachingaleveetoreconnecttherivertoitsfloodplainbehindthelevee,orchangingland-use,suchascessationoffarmingoramodifiedgrazingplan,orcreatingtopographybycuttingswalesorbuilding lowbermson thefloodplain.TheRHJVproviderestorationrecommendationsforhorticulturalrestoration (pages79-82)andprocess restoration (pages91-92) in theRiparianBirdConservationPlan(RHJV2004).

D. MitigationMitigation isa regulatoryprocess intended tooffset the lossofnatural resources resulting fromhumandevelopment.Whenmitigationisachievedthroughplantingnativespecies,itcansuperficiallyresemblerestoration.Mitigationplantingsarefrequentlypermittedtoserveascompensationforunavoidable“take”ofimperiledspeciesorhabitats. Takereferstoactivitiesthatwilldirectlyorindirectlyharmindividualwildlifespeciesorhabitattypes,suchaswetlandsorvernalpools.

Mitigationplantingsaretypicallynarrowlyfocusedonthehabitatrequirementsofindividualspeciesorinthecaseofimperiledhabitattypes,theyfocusonspecificplantassociationstorecreatetargetedecosystemservices. Thisnarrowfocusofmitigation is incontrast to thebroadscopeofmost restorationprojectswhichaimtosupportmultiplespeciesandcreateplantingsthatwillprovidenumerousecosystembenefits(seeRiparianversusMitigationbox).

Mitigationisalegalprocessandtheregulatoryagencydependsonthelocationandstatusoftheprotectedresource.MitigationforfederallyprotectedspeciesisregulatedthroughtheFishandWildlifeServiceforterrestrialspeciesorthroughtheNationalMarineFisheriesServiceforaquaticresources. TakeofstateprotectedspeciesinCaliforniamayincurmitigationasmandatedbytheCaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame.RiparianareasoftenreceiveprotectionundertheUSArmyCorpswhentheyarewithinjurisdictionalwatersoftheUS.Citiesandcountiesmayhavespecificregulationsforwildlifeandplantcommunities,andaccordinglymitigationplantingsmayberequiredtooffsetlossesofthenaturalresources.

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Mitigation versus Restoration

Ideally,restorationshouldbedesignedtomeetthehabitatrequirementsofmultipletargetedwildlifespeciesthatrequireavarietyofplantassociations,densitiesandconfigurations. Inthisway,thetargetedwildlifeserveasumbrellaspeciesthatwillprovidehabitatresourcesforadditionalwildlife. Restorationplantingsshouldalsobedesignedtoprovideabroadrangeofecosystembenefits.Forexample,restorationofnativevegetationonfrequentlyinundatedfloodplains will not only allow the site to improve water quality but could also supportanadromousfish.Similarly,adiverseplantassemblagewillattractasuiteofwildlifethatbothbirdwatchersandhunterswillappreciate.

Mitigationplantingsaretypicallymoreconstrainedthanrestorationplantings.Sincemitigationisarequiredprocess,toooften,onlytheessentialrequirementsaresatisfiedandtheplantingsarenotdesignedtoprovideadditionalbenefits.MitigationforthefederallythreatenedValleyelderberrylonghornbeetle(VELB),forexample,consistprimarilyofdenseplantingsofthebeetle’shostplant,elderberry,alongwithassociatednativeplantsataratioofatleast1nativeplantforeveryelderberryplanted.Beyondthenumbersanddensitiesofplants,thereisnoguidanceaboutdesignofmitigationfortheVELBorconsiderationofhowotherspecieswillusetheplantings.Inaddition,thereisfrequentlyminimalscientificreviewofbiologicaldatawhenthe

mitigation projectsareplanned(Kareivaetal.1999)andthismeans that lossesof wildlife habitator key ecosystembenefits may notfullybeoffsetwhenlowqualityorfailedmitigationplantingsareproduced(Allen1994; Smallwoodetal.1999).

Mitigation for the Valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB). Elderberry shrubs impacted by development must be transplanted into a conservation area if the shrubs are large enough to possibly contain VELB larvae.

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E. Setting Goals and Planning Restoration Thegoalsofariparianrestorationprojectshouldbeestablishedpriortotheplanningstage.Projectgoalswithquantifiableobjectivesareessentialfordeterminingprojectsuccessinthefuture.Thegoalsofeachrestorationprojectmaydiffersubstantiallydependingontheprimaryfundersand/ormanagers,andtheirneedsandpriorities.Oneprojectmaybesolelyintendedforwildlifehabitat;anothermaybeusedasahunt-ingpreserve;anothermaybeintendedforrecreationandresearch.ThecasestudiesinAppendix2describethegoalsofdifferentrestorationprojectsandhowtheyinfluencedprojectdesign. Oncecompleted, thesuccessoftheprojectwillbeevaluatedonhowwellthegoalsweremet.

Thegoalsandobjectivesoftheprojectshouldbesetforthclearlyatitsinception,toensurethatprogresscanbemonitoredandmeasuredinthatframework.Throughoutplanning,ask:Areweachievingourob-jectives?Isthetimelineappropriate?Isfundingadequate?Canwemeasureourprogressagainstexistingfinishedprojectsorremnantareas?

Somefactorstobeconsideredduringthedefiningofgoalsforanyriparianrestorationprojectinclude:Community Involvement: Engagethelocalcommunityintheplanninganddevelopmentofprojects;encouragelearningaboutnativewildlifeandbenefitstothecommunitythatrestorationwillprovidesuchasfloodcontrolandrecreationopportunities;identifycommongoals.Target species for wildlife habitat creation: Designtheplantingsinarestorationprojectbasedonthestructuralhabitatneedsofoneormorefocalspecies.Restorationistsoftenusewildlifespecieshabitat requirements as targets for successof a restorationproject.For example, theCaliforniaPartnersinFlightandRHJVRiparianBirdConservationPlanhasidentifiedsixteen“focalspecies”of riparian birds as important indicators of riparian health throughout California. Other focalspeciesintheCentralValleyincludeRiparianBrushRabbit,ValleyElderberryLonghornBeetle,and Salmon. Creation of wildlife habitat is probably the most important regional goal that ariparianrestorationprojectcanhave.Flood Neutrality: Consultwithhydraulicengineerstoensurethattherestorationprojectwillnotaffect theflood conveyancepropertiesof the site, such as transitory storage capacity andbankstabilization,velocity,depthanddirectionofflows.Whatarethefloodprotectionbenefitsoftheproject?Recreation:Assesstherecreationopportunitiesthatareappropriateforthesite–wildlifeviewing,hunting,fishing,andhikingaresomeexamples.Environmental Improvement: Riparianrestorationprojectscanimproveairqualitybecauseplantscaptureandstorecarbonastheygrow.Restorationprojectsalsoimprovewaterquality,byfilteringnutrients fromnearbypoint-sourcepollution, byfiltering largedebris, by stabilizingbanks andreducingsedimentloadintotherivers,andbyprovidinggroundwaterrecharge.Weed abatement: Restorationprojectsincludeweedcontroltosuppressinvasiveweedsandreplacethemwithnativeriparianplants,andthiscouldbenefitneighboringlandusesbylimitingthespreadofweeds.Water conservation:Restorationprojectstypicallyrequireirrigationforthefirstthreeyears.Afterthistimediversionsandwell-pumpingceases,allowingwatertostayintheriverorintheground.Therefore,inthelongtermrestorationprojectscanreducetheamountofwaterconsumptioninthearea.

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Peerreviewatallphasesofplanningandimplementationofarestorationprojectisessentialforthedevel-opmentofqualitywildlifehabitat.Questionsthatshouldbeconsideredduringsiteevaluationandprojectdevelopmentinclude:Isthesystemhealthy?Isthesiteappropriatetosupportrestoration?Isrestorationpossible?Ifso,whatlevelorqualityispossible?Howmightrestorationaffectneighboringlanduse?Atthisstageofsiteevaluation,itiscriticaltoinvolveriverecologistsandbiologists,floodcontrolengineers,fluvialgeomorphologists,regionalorcountyplanningdepartments,andlong-timelocalresidents.

The following sections focusonphysical riverprocesses and their interactionwith riparianvegetation,wildlife,andcommunities. Thisunderstandingis thefoundationfordevelopingasuccessfulecologicalrestorationdesign.

Photos document River Partners’ San Joaquin River restoration project, showing dramatic growth after three years, and the ability of the site to become self-sustaining.

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A. Physical River ProcessesPhysicalriverprocesses–flooding,sedimenttransportandchannelmeander-operateatallscales,frombroad floodplains of theCentralValley that are severalmiles inwidth, down to rivulets in headwatermountainmeadowsthatmaybeonlyinchesinwidth.

Beforeonecandeveloparestorationplanforanysite,anunderstandingofhowexistingriverprocessesaffectsiteconditionsanddeterminethefunctionalecologyisnecessary.Physicalriverprocessesmoldtheformandtopographyoftheriverchannelanditsfloodplain(thisistermedfluvialgeomorphology),theydepositsedimentthatwillfunctionassoilforplantgrowth,theyregulateplantestablishmentandgrowthanddriveplantsuccessionthroughfloodingandchannelmeander,andtheyaffecttheresultingvegetationstructurethatprovideswildlifehabitatformorespeciesthananyothervegetation.

Themostimportantphysicalfactorsthatdefineariverarethearea,elevationandgeologyofitswatershed(orcatchment),theslopeorgradientoftheriver‘schannel,andtheregionalclimate.

1. Watershed Area and ElevationTheareaof thewatershedand its elevationdictate thebehaviorofflows in thewatershed.Watershedswithlargeareashavethepotentialtogeneratelargeflowsthatsmallwatershedscannot.Elevationofthewatershedcandictatethesizeoftheflowthroughoutthewatershed.Forexample,manyriversintheSanJoaquinValleyhavelargewatershedsthataresetathigherelevationswhichreceiveabundantsnowduringthewinter.Typically,snowmeltrunoffdoesnotentertheriveruntillatespring/earlysummerwhenitcanthenresultinfloodingrelativelylateinthewater-year.ComparethistoriversoftheSacramentoValleywherewatershedelevationsarenotashigh.ThesnowmeltrunoffhereismuchlessthanintheSanJoaquin,andcausesrelativelyminorflowincreases.

2. Watershed Geology, Sediment Transport Characteristics, and Channel Meander

Watershedcharacteristicsaffectthesedimentloadofariver.Thesedimentloadistheresultofgeologicerosionofitswatershed.Undernaturalconditions,thesedimentwillbecarriedeventuallytothemouthoftheriver.Hydraulicforcesduringbank-fullandhigherflowsdistributethesedimentsacrossthefloodplainandovertime,layersofsedimentareshapedintoacharacteristicgeomorphology.Riversthatflowthroughwidevalleysaretypicallydepositingsedimentsandbuildingtheirfloodplains,whileriversthatflowthroughnarrowcanyonsaremoreerosivebecauseof their increasedvelocity.Themost important resultsof thesedimenttransportprocessarebankerosionandpoint-barformationwhichovertimebuildfloodplainsbydepositionofsediment.Together,bankerosion,point-barformationandfloodplaincreationresultinthelateralmovementofthechannel,orchannelmeander(Figure1).Afterflooding,channelmeanderisthesecondmostimportantecologicaleffectthatariverhasonthefloodplain.

III. Ecology of a River

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Figure 1: Some properties of channel meander exhibited by the Sacramento River. Where streams flow over low gradients through erodable banks, the velocity of the water causes the channel to meander.Erosion occurs on the outerbends where water moves fastest, and sediment is deposited on the inner bends (where water velocity is low) and forms point bars. If a meander bend is cut off from the rest of the channel, an oxbow lake is formed. Images adopted from Earth Science Australia.

Formation of an oxbow lake

Point Bar

Old Channel

Channel Meander along the Sacramento River

Cut Bank

Oxbow Lake

Some properties of channel meander exhibited by the Sacramento River. Where streams flow over low gradients through erodible banks, the velocity of the water causes the channel to meander. Erosion occurs on the outer bends where water moves fastest, and sediment is deposited on the inner bends (where water velocity is low) and forms point bars. If a meander bend is cut off from the rest of the channel, an oxbow lake is formed. Formation of an oxbow lake graphic adopted from Earth Science Australia.

Figure 1: Channel Meander Along the Sacramento River

3. Channel SlopeTheslopeofthechanneldeterminesthevelocityoftheriverflows.Thevelocityshapesthegeometryofthechannelandthepatternsofsedimenttransportanddepositiononthefloodplain.Steepgradientrivershavemoreerosivepowerthanlowgradientriversandmaybedeeplyincisedintothesurroundinglandscapeandadjacentfloodplainareas.Lowgradientriversareoftendepositionalwithlargebroadfloodplains.

4. Regional Climate and the HydrographThe regional climateaffects thequantity and timingof riverflows throughout theyear, termed thehydroperiod.Plantsandanimalsadapttoariver’snaturalvariationinflowvolumesovertimeandthehabitatconditionsthatarearesultoftheseriverflowpatterns.Ahydrographisagraphicaldisplayofaverageflowoveraspecifiedperiodoftime.Inotherwords,ahydrographcanbeusedtoevaluateflowpatternsinaday,overayear,oroverseveralyears.Mostriparianspeciesofplantsandanimalsareadaptedtotheriver’shydrographforreproduction,growth,andsurvival.Forexample,Figure2showsanaturalhydrographoftheTrinityRiveroverlaidbythelifecyclesoftworipariantrees,blackcottonwoodandnarrowleafwillow,andthefall-runChinooksalmon.Thefigureshowshowthetiming

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page �0

of the salmonarrival, their spawning,hatchingand juvenilegrowthalloccurat characteristic timesonthe hydrograph (Adaptation to Hydrograph Box 2). Likewise, cottonwood and narrowleaf willow seedreleaseandseedlingestablishmentrelyuponthetimingandmagnitudeofflowsthatarecontrolledbythehydrograph(AdaptationtoHydrographBox1).Notethatthenaturalhydrographbeforethedamwasbuiltisshowninblue,andexhibitshighvariabilityinflow,whiletheflowsafterdamconstructionshowninyellowexhibitverylittlevariabilityandareingenerallowyearround.Theflowpatternafterthedamisdrasticallydifferentfromthenaturalpatternbeforethedam.Plantsandwildlifedidnothaveenoughtimetoadapttosuchdrasticchanges,andasaresult,theirpopulationshavedeclined.Restorationdesignshavetoconsiderthealteredhydrologyofthesitewhenselectingthespeciestoplant,becausenaturalplantestablishment,survival,andsuccessionaredisruptedbychangestothehydrograph.Studyingthehydrographforariveristhemosteffectivemethodfordeterminingtheecologicalhealthofariver,andplanningtheappropriateplantingdesign.

Periodic flooding by the river is a fundamental characteristic of floodplain and riparian ecology. Thefrequency(recurrenceinterval)anddurationoffloodeventsovertimeshapethephysicalhabitatandcreatetheecological restraints thatdetermine thespeciescompositionandcommunitystructureonasite.ThenaturalhydrographforriversinCaliforniaisaninvertedU-shape,withpeakflowsinthewinterandspring(NovemberthroughJune)(Figure2).Theslowingorreductioninmagnitudeofflowsduringlatespringandearlysummer,asrainfalltaperstonothing,isbiologicallyimportanttomostplantsthatgrowintheriparianzone.Seed-release,seeddispersal,andseedlingestablishmentareadaptationstothehydrographbymostriparianplants.Cottonwoodisthemoststudiedinthisregard(AdaptationtoHydrographBox1),althoughallspeciesofwillowshaveasimilarbehaviorinresponsetothehydrograph.Likewisemostspeciesoffishareadaptedtothehydrograph.Theentirefreshwaterphaseofthesalmonidlifecycleisadaptedtonaturalflowregimesandassociatedwatertemperatures,includingadultupstreammigration,spawning,juvenilerearingandoutmigration(AdaptationtoHydrographBox2). Adultsalmonrequirecold,deepholdingpoolsandcooloxygen-richwatersflowingoverandthroughspawninggravels.Juvenilesalmonexhibithighergrowthrateswhentheyforageinthewarmershallowwatersofinundatedfloodplainsinthespring.ResidentspeciessuchastheSacramentosplittailspawnonsubmergedfloodplainvegetationduringearlyspringfloods.

Damsandseasonalwaterdiversionsforirrigationwillchangethehydrographforareachofariverthatisbelowthem.Thismodificationofthehydrographwillresultinmajordisruptionsinthelifecycleofbothplantsandwildlife,resultinginreducedreproductivesuccessandincreasedmortality(adultandjuvenile),leadingtomajorchangesinplantcommunitystructureandreducedwildlife(especiallyfish)populations.

Figure 2: Trinity River Hydrograph (McBain & Trush, Inc.)

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Fremontcottonwoodreproductivetimingandseedlingestablishmentandgrowtharebothtiedcloselytothetimingofhydrographicevents.Highwinterflowsmobilize sediments at the edgeof the active channels andcreatepointsbarscomposedofsandandsilt,orfloodplainsoilsarescouredofvegetativecoverandmulch.Exposedmineralsedimentsubstrateisessentialforthegerminationrequirementsofcottonwoodandwillowseeds.Cottonwoodtreesflowerintheearlyspring(April),seedmaturesrapidly,andisoftenmaturebylateAprilandearlyMay.Thiscoincideswiththesnow-meltrecessionphaseofthehydrograph.Theseedisreleasedintothewindfromthecapsuleswhenmature.Seedblowswiththewind,comingtorestonthesurfaceoftheriverorotherwaterbody,wheretheysailonthewindandwatercurrentstotheedge,andideallycometorestonmineralsedimentsthatwillremainwetforseveraldays.Heretheseedwillgerminateandinitiaterapidgrowth.Theseedlinggrowsataprootthatgrowsdownwardasthewatertablerecedesdownwardintothesedimentsassnowmeltrunofftransitionsintosummerbaseflows.Thetaprootcangrowatarateofoneinchperday.ByNovembera1.5to2.0metertallsaplingcandevelop.Changestotheshapeandtimingofhydrographeventscannegativelyimpactseedlinggerminationanddevelopment.Damslimitthehighflowsduringthewinterthatcreateseedbeds.Irrigationdiversionsduringseedlingestablishmentanddevelopmentphasescancreaterapiddry-downratesthattheseedlingrootgrowthcannotkeepupwith.Highflowsreleasedforirrigationduringthesummeroftendrowncottonwoodseedlingsonpointbars.AsaconsequenceofdamoperationscottonwoodrarelyreproducesaslargeblocksoftreestodayalongtheSacramentoRiver.

Adaptation to Hydrograph, Box 1: Establishment of Cottonwood Seedlings

ChinookandCohosalmonandSteelheadspawning,juveniledevelopment,andout-migrationarealldeterminedbythetimingofhydrographevents.Highwinterflowsarenecessarytodepositandformgravelbedscomposedofspecificdiametergravelsthatwillfunctionasspawningbedsthefollowingfall.Salmonenteringtheriverfromtheoceaninfalltypicallyspawnbylayingtheireggsintheformofreddsthatareexcavatedbythefemaleincoarsegravels.EggsarelaidsometimeinNovemberbyChinooksalmonandinDecemberandJanuarybyCohosalmon.SeeMoyle,etal.2008fordetailedlife history accounts of California Salmonids.The eggs hatch in the gravel as alevins where theyremainforseveralweeksbeforeemergingintotheriverasjuvenilefish.Juvenilesalmonforageonaquaticand terrestrial insects in thewatercolumnduring the spring intoApril.Duringwinterandspringfloodsjuvenilesalmonswimwiththewaterontoandoverthefloodplain.Floodwatersonthefloodplain are several degreeswarmer and support a greater abundance of invertebrates for food.Consequently,juvenilesalmongrowfasterwhileforagingoverthefloodplainthanfishthatremainintheriverchannel(Sommeretal.2001).SometimeduringlateApril,May,orJunesnowbeginsmeltingfromthemountainssurroundingthewatershed.Thissnow-meltportionofthehydrographprovideshigherflowsthatthejuvenilefish,nowtermedsmolts,ridedowntheriverintotheestuarywheretheypreparetoexitfreshwaterandswimintotheocean.Changescausedbylargedamstothehydrographthatnegativelyaffectsalmonincludereductionofhighflowsnecessaryforspawninggravelmaintenance,andthereductionoffloodplainfloodingthatresultsinslowerjuvenilegrowthrates,thatresultsinsmallerfishenteringtheocean.

Adaptation to Hydrograph, Box 2: Salmon Life-cycle is Keyed to Hydrograph

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 12

B. Plant Response to Physical ProcessesRiparian plant species are characteristically adapted to the hydroperiod of a river, and rely upon it for seed dispersal and predictable water table depths to establish their seedlings. Fremont cottonwood is the most-researched tree species in regards to its dependence upon a river’s hydrograph for reproductive cues and seedling establishment (Mahoney and Rood 1998; Cooper et al. 1999; Cederborg 2003)

In addition, cottonwood and willows, as well as all other riparian plant species, are directly dependent upon patterns of sediment erosion and deposition. For example, a meandering channel undercuts mature vegetation on the bank allowing trees to drop into the channel where they become important substrate for aquatic invertebrates and structure for fish habitat. Opposite the cut bank, the river deposits a point bar of sediments that will be colonized by seedlings of cottonwoods and willows. As these grow into saplings over time (decades), the point bar accumulates finer sediments and grows in elevation, eventually reaching the elevation of the local floodplain. The finer sediments allow other species of trees and shrubs to establish under and near the willows and cottonwoods. After several decades of sediment deposition and organic matter accumulation, a deep layer (1-3 meters) of “soil” allows valley oak and elderberry to establish. Thus, over a period of 40 to 100 years (Strahan 1984; Trowbridge et al. 2004) the plant association on a site will change from a willow-cottonwood woodland to a valley oak dominated forest.

The timing and duration of flooding are important factors in regulating species composition in the riparian zone. Riparian trees and shrubs are differentially adapted to the duration of flood events, most able to tolerate several days, or a few species can tolerate months, of flooding. Many non-native invasive weeds are killed by flooding.

Thus, interactions among the physical processes of flooding, sediment deposition, channel meander, and hydroperiod across a floodplain results in a vegetation mosaic over time that is structurally complex. Groves of trees, patches of woody shrubs, open grassy areas, and open woodlands with an understory of herbaceous perennials and native grasses are scattered and in places intermingle across the floodplain, and diverse habitat types created by channel meander form in the oxbow lakes and cut-off sloughs.

C. Wildlife Response to Vegetation Structure The complexity of vegetation structural types results in a rich diversity of wildlife species that reside or seasonally utilize riparian zones. The abundance of surface water in the riparian zone (river channel and oxbow lakes and ponds) allows large numbers of individuals of these species to survive within the complex vegetation structure. Birds are the most diverse and most studied of the wildlife in the riparian zone. The types of species that riparian vegetation supports range from Swainson’s Hawks that nest in tall cottonwood or valley oak trees, to House Wrens that forage on the floor of the forest and inside debris piles. Sixteen “focal species” of riparian dependent birds have been identified as important indicators of riparian ecological health (Figure 3). One or more of these twelve are often used as targets of a restoration project. The restorationist must, therefore, know the structural habitat needs of the target species as well as the growth characteristics of each tree or shrub in a restoration design, in order to design a vegetation planting that will function as useful wildlife habitat (See the Riparian Bird Conservation Plan, RHJV 2004, for detailed habitat descriptions for each of the riparian focal bird species; for research documenting songbird use of riparian restoration sites, see Gardali et al. 2007; and for a review of wildlife response to riparian restoration on the Sacramento River, see Golet et al 2008).

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Each species of wildlife lives in its own characteristic habitat and shares this habitat with a community of other wildlife species. Within its habitat an animal carries out all of its living-functions: foraging for food and water, seeking cover to hide from predators and the weather, and nesting or denning for reproduction. Habitat provides the physical needs of life for an individual and its species. Habitat is typically described by its physical composition – elevation, topography, availability and seasonality of water - and the species composition and structure of its vegetation. Management and manipulation of vegetation species composition and the arrangement of individual plants on the site are the methods that the restorationist can use to build or restore the vegetation structure that target wildlife will view as habitat.

The restoration planner must have an understanding of the structural needs of the target wildlife species and have the knowledge to cultivate these species into the desired habitat structure. On many rivers without dams and water diversions, river processes can be considered “natural” and process restoration may be accomplished by actions that return river processes to the site – berm/levee/rip-rap removal, swale construction, land use change. These actions are assumed to be sufficient to provide the growing conditions that riparian plant species require in order to develop into a vegetation structure that will function as high quality wildlife habitat. However, on most low-elevation rivers in California, dams, levees and diversions are common and land use on the floodplains is either agricultural or urban. Thus, the physical river processes are not “natural” and the vegetation that develops under them will likely not be of the proper species composition or structure for wildlife use as habitat. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the restorationist to develop a planting design for horticultural restoration of the site that will result in wildlife use and be considered high quality habitat for an array of target species (Gardali et al. 2007).

To design restoration for wildlife habitat, the restorationist should research the target species to understand their structural habitat requirements. For example, the Riparian Bird Conservation Plan (RHJV 2004) provides a usable synthesis of known habitat requirements of birds that use riparian areas. The Riparian Bird Conservation Plan selected the following 16 focal species of landbirds to represent the diversity of niches that occur in riparian habitats in California. The species accounts provide information synthesized from many studies to document the habitat needs and specific vegetation structure required for different behaviors and life stages of these birds.

• Bank Swallow • Bell's Vireo • Black-headed Grosbeak • Blue Grosbeak • Common Yellowthroat • Song Sparrow

• Swainson's Hawk • Swainson's Thrush • Tree Swallow • Tricolored Blackbird • Warbling Vireo

Restoration of Wildlife Habitat

Additionally, the California Department of Fish and Game created the Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) database which describes the life history and habitat requirements of all birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that use riparian areas. The California Natural Diversity Database (www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/cnddb) is another resource for information about the status and locations of rare plants and animals in California. Their online database can be queried to produce local maps and species lists for a project site.

• Willow Flycatcher • Wilson's Warbler • Yellow-breasted Chat • Yellow-billed Cuckoo • Yellow Warbler

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Most terrestrial mammals found in California spend time in (or require) riparian areas. Common low-elevation mammal species include raccoon, striped skunk, opossum, coyote, and black-tailed deer. Where large cavities exist in old, large trees, ringtail cats can be locally abundant. Rodent species that rely on riparian vegetation are few: beaver and gray squirrel. Ground squirrels, pocket gophers, and meadow voles live only around the margins of riparian areas where woody vegetation is sparse or non-existent. Special status mammals documented using restored riparian habitat in the San Joaquin Valley include the Riparian Brush rabbit, and along the Sacramento River Western mastiff bats, Pallid bats, Western red bats, and Yuma myotis. (Golet et al 2008).

Riparian corridors are the main migration routes for regional movement of all wildlife species. Riparian restoration can have important impacts for the local and regional wildlife diversity and abundance by connecting patches of riparian vegetation that improves the connectedness of the riparian corridor. This function of the riparian corridor will be as important, or more so, in the future with Climate Change scenarios predicting changes in vegetation and consequent need for wildlife populations to migrate.

Trees and shrubs growing on the bank and over-hanging the channel provide shade for the water column adjacent to the bank and deposit insects and nutrients into the river. The vegetation provides Shaded Riverine Aquatic (SRA) habitat for fish and other aquatic life. The shade from the vegetation helps to cool water temperatures in the river and seasonally provides insects for fish to forage. SRA is important to the juvenile salmon and steelhead as they migrate down the river to the sea. Terrestrial insects that live on riparian vegetation fall into the river and provide an important food source for fish. Riparian trees and shrubs will eventually end up in the river channel as floods erode the bank or sweep them from the floodplain. Once in the river channel, the stems, trunks, and branches become very important structural habitat components for aquatic life, including fish. Most of the aquatic invertebrates found in the river occur on the woody debris. These invertebrates, in turn, are the primary food of juvenile salmon and steelhead. Large wood affects the hydraulics of flows around it that results in a more complex channel geomorphology and the storage of spawning gravels. (For more information on fish and invertebrate use of riparian habitat see Moyle et al. 2004, RHJV 2004, USFWS 2005, and the UC Davis California Fish Website.)

Figure 3: Riparian dependent birds and their habitat. The Riparian Bird Conservation Plan (RHJV 2004)

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

A. Altered River ProcessesRiparianvegetationandwildlifeareadaptedtothephysicalriverprocessesofflooding,sedimenttransport,andchannelmeander.Riverandfloodplainmanagementbyhumansthroughtheuseofdams,levees,bankstabilization,andwaterdiversionssignificantlymodifiesthetimingandmagnitudeoftheseprocesses.

California’sCentralValley riparianareashavea longhistoryofhumanuse.NativeAmericans lived invillagesonthehigherportionsofthefloodplainneartheriverchannel.Theyharvestedsalmonwiththeuseofin-channelweirs.AtthetimeofcontactwithEuropeansawellusedroadparalleledthechanneloftheSacramentoRiver(asdescribedbySpanishexplorerMoragainKelley1989).TheEuropeansettlersofCalifornialearnedearly-onthataconsistentlivingcouldbegeneratedbyfarmingtherichalluvialsoilsfoundalongmostofthemajorriversintheCentralValley.Theannualthreatoffloodinglimitedpermanentdevelopmentofmuchofthefloodplain.ThroughouttheCentralValleyleveeswereconstructedtoprotectfarmlandfromscourandsedimentdepositionduringfloods.Theconstructionofdamsforfloodcontrolandwatersupplystarted in the1930sandcontinued into the1970s,allowingmost riparian lands tobeconvertedtoagriculture.Today,majordamsblockvirtuallyallthelargeriversintheCentralValley,withtheresultinglossof95percentofpre-Europeanacresofriparianhabitat(Katibah1984).Thedamshavealsomodifiedtheriverprocesses,includingthecut-offofsedimentandorganicmattertransportandthegreatlyalteredseasonalityofflowsbelowthedams.Rockandgravelminingin-channelandonthefloodplainscausesmajordisruptionstoriverflows,sedimenttransport,andtheaquaticecologyrequiredbyfish.Thesechangeshavealteredtheecologyoftheriverchannelsandfloodplainstosuchadegreethatmanycharacteristicriparianspeciesreproduceonlyonrareoccasions.Inaddition,thestructureofthevegetationhaschangedtherebyeliminatinghabitatformanywildlifespecies,andallowingmanynon-nativeinvasivespeciesofplantstodominatethefloodplain.

1. Dams Dams for flood control and forwater storage probably have themost significant ecological impact onfloodplainbiology:

Dams severely modify the amount and timing of flows in the river below the dam (modifiedhydrograph),whichinturnimpactsthelifehistoriesofbothplantsandanimals,resultinginmanyspeciesbeingunabletosurviveorreproduce.Overtime,thisresultsinalteredplantandanimalcommunitystructureandfunction.Dams cut-off sediment transport. Incoming sediment carriedby the river from its watershed istrappedinthereservoirbehindthedam.Consequently,floodplainbuildingmayceasebelowthedam,yetchannelandbankerosionmaycontinue,resultinginentrenchedchannelsthataremuchlowerthanthefloodplainandflooditlessfrequently.Damscut-offorganicmaterialtransport,e.g.largewoodandvegetationdetritus.Thesematerialsprovidenutrients,food,andshelterforaquaticlife.

Theresultingimpactontheriverbelowadamisoftenadramaticchangeinthequalityofthesediments.

•

•

•

IV. Human Impacts on Riparian Systems

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Thefinersediments(sand,silt,andclay)arewasheddownstreamandonlythecoarsergravelsandcobblesremain.Thissituationcanaffectplantspeciesabilitytoestablishandgrow,andmayalsonegativelyaffectanadromousfish spawning success. In addition, a damusually reduces themagnitudeof thehighfloweventsthathistoricallyreshapeandrejuvenatethechannelthrougherosionanddepositionofsediment.Formoreontheeffectsofdams,seealistofpotentialeffectsontheenvironment(CDA2008).

Thefloodingrecurrenceintervalforasiteundertheinfluenceofexistingfloodcontrolprojects,suchasdams,shouldbedeterminedinordertoevaluatetheimpactsuponthesuccessionofaplantingthroughtime.Areviewofhistoricalfloodflowsandfloodelevationswillgiveinsightintoprobabilitiesoffloodfrequencyonthesite.QuantitativehistoricalflowdataforsitesthroughoutthestatecanbefoundattheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResourcesCaliforniaDataExchangeCenter(CDWR2009a)andtheRealTimeWaterDataforCalifornia(USGS2009).Evaluationofcurrentandfuturefloodingrecurrenceonaprojectsitebyafluvialgeomorphologistorhydraulicengineerisusuallynecessarytodevelopaplanthatwillsucceedovertime,andinmanycases,consultationfromtheseexpertsisrequiredtocompletethenecessarypermittingforprojectsinmajorfloodways.

2. LeveesLeveesthatareconstructedtoprotectriversidepropertyfromfloodingeffectivelydisconnect(orisolate)theriverfromitsfloodplain.Thebiologicalresponsetothisisolationisecologicaldegradationoftheplantandanimalcommunitiesandtheinvasionofmanyweedyspeciesthatordinarilywouldnotbepresentduetoflooding.FloodingisessentialtothedefinitionofriparianasusedinthisHandbook,thereforerestorationshouldtakeplaceonthewatersideofleveestoensurephysicalriverprocessesaffecttheprojectarea.

3. Bank StabilizationBankstabilizationoftenisaccomplishedbytheuseofrip-raprockplaceduponthebankfromitstoetoitscrestinordertopreventbankerosion.Inmeanderingsystems,rockusedinthiswaymayhaltnaturalrivermovements, effectively eliminating one form of natural sediment recruitment, and halting or impedingchannelmeanderresponsibleforcreatingandrejuvenatingplantandwildlifehabitat.

Leveesorbankstabilizationthatextendsforlongdistancesonbothsidesofachannel(termedchannelization)willcausehydraulicforcesinthechanneltobemoreintense/extremeduetheincreaseddepthofflows.Thiswill result in increased ratesofbankerosionandchannel-scour,and thedevelopmentofanentrenchedchannel.

4. Water Diversions Water diversions reduce the quantity of water in the downstream channel and greatly change watertemperature,affectingriverprocessesandhydrology.Howthesediversionsimpactthehydrographforaprojectsitemustbeunderstoodiftherestorationplantingistobesuccessful.Specifically,thetiminganddurationofhighwaterreleasesresultingfromwaterdiversionsmustbeknown.

Ground water pumping, including conjunctive use programs may affect local and regional water tabledepths,possiblyaffecting restorationproject successbecause the localwater tablemaydropbelow therootingdepthofvegetation.Formoreinformationaboutconjunctiveuse,seetheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResourcesGroundwaterConjunctiveUsewebpage(CDWR2009c).

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B. Altered Geomorphology 1. Gravel Mining on Floodplains and In-stream

Historicgoldminingandmoderngravelmininghaveresultedinextrememodificationofin-streamandfloodplaingeomorphology. Largeminingpits (coveringmanyacres)are leftbehindafterminingends.Thesepitsareunnaturallydeep,theyoftencapturetheactivechannel,andtheysupportnon-nativepredatoryfish (bass). In addition, theminingprocess literally turns the sedimentsupside-down; thechannel andfloodplainendupcomposedprimarilyofcobblesandgravelwithmostofthefinesediments(clayandsilt)washingawayduringminingactivities.Cobblesandgraveldonotsupportplantgrowth.Forexamplesofrestorationprojectswithminingpitssee thisSanDiegoRiverproject (SWRCB)andsection24.8ofLessonsfromtheCaliforniaCampaign(SFU2009).

2. Land-leveling for AgricultureIntheCentralValleymostagriculturefieldshavebeenleveled.Highwaterchannelsonthefloodplainarefilledandthenaturaldrainageisaltered.Land-levelingchangesthelocalpatternsoffloodflowssuchthatcaremustbetakenwheninterpreting/comparinghistoricalaerialphotosduringthesiteevaluationprocess.Ahydraulicengineershouldbeconsultedtodeterminetheprojectsitespecificflowproperties.

Reconstructingnaturaltopographycanbeexpensivebecauseofthehighcostoftheheavyequipmentthatisrequired.Opportunitiesforreconstructionofthenaturaltopographymaybefundediffloodconveyancecanbedemonstratedasabenefit.

C. Land Use Conversion 1. Agriculture

Agricultureconversionphysicallyreplacesthecomplex,multi-layeredriparianvegetationwithauniformvegetationpatterncomposedofonecropspecies.Mostwildlifeonlyuseagriculturalfieldsformovementtoadjacentforestpatches,orforseasonalusessuchasforagingbywaterfowl.Agriculturelandcovertypicallycannotsustainwildlifepopulationsbecausetheydonotprovideenoughcovertypesorfood(Bellemoreetal.2003,Waltertatal.2004).Agriculturalconversioncanresultinahighlyfragmented(non-contiguous)riparianhabitat.Theseremnantsareusuallytoosmalltosupporttheneedsofwildlife.Forexample,thevegetationstructuremightbeperfectfornestingforafocalbirdspecies,butthenumberofacresisnotlargeenoughtosupporttheinsectfoodthatthespeciesrequirestoraiseabrood.

Agricultureoftengeneratesirrigationdrain-water thatfindsitswayintotheriver. Thisdrainwatercandeliver pesticides and fertilizers into the river, changing aquatic communities and compromising waterquality.Drain-wateristypicallyamuchhighertemperatureafterithasflowedthroughafieldandcanhavedeleteriouseffectstolocalfishpopulations,dependinguponthewatervolumeintowhichitdrains.

2. Livestock GrazingLivestockgrazingimpactsthewatershedbyaffectingthetimingofflowsandthetransportofnon-pointfinesedimentsthroughoutthewatershed.Thelivestockcompacttheground,slowingpercolationofwater,andgrazingshortensthevegetation.Compactedsoilsandreducedvegetationcausethevelocityofwaterrunofftoincrease,whichinturncausesmoresurfaceerosioninthewatershedandaddsabundantfinesedimentto the river (Swanson 1988). Intensive grazing over many years in the riparian zone often results in areductionofthecoveranddensityoftheunderstory,thedeepeningofthestreamchannel(entrenchment),

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andtheconsequentreductioninmanyspeciesofwildlifethatrelyupondenseunderstoryvegetationnearopenwater. Inrecentyearsgovernment landmanagementagencies–BureauofLandManagementandtheNaturalResourcesConservationService–havebeenactivelyfencingriparianareas tokeepout thelivestock.

3. LoggingLoggingandtheroad-buildingrequiredtosupportitcanhavemajordisruptiveimpactsuponariveranditswatershed.Loggingpracticesinthewatershedusuallyresultsinanincreaseinfinesedimentrun-offthatcanfilltheriverchannel.ThegeologyoftheCoastRangesofCaliforniaisespeciallysusceptibletoerosionafterlogging.RedwoodCreekinDelNorteCounty(CraterLakeInstitute2009)isanexampleofawatershednegativelyimpactedbyloggingpractices,wheretheriparianzonehasbeenburiedunderthesedimenterodedfromhillsides.

4. UrbanizationUrbanizationalongariverresultsinitschannelizationandtypicallyreductionorremovalofallriparianvegetationandanincreaseinimperviouscoversuchasconcreteandpavement.Imperviouscovercanresultinincreasedrunoffandeliminatespermeablegroundwherewatercanrechargeundergroundaquifers(USEPA2009).Wherepatchesofriparianvegetationremainasparks,wildlifeuseisminimalbecauseofthelackofpropervegetationstructure,highdensityofhumanuse,andferalanimals,mostusuallydomesticcats.

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California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 20

A. Flow Chart Planning Process and ExplanationThe following descriptions of each step in the flow chart providemore detail about the factors to beconsideredateachstageofrestorationplanningandimplementation.InSectionXII,severalrestorationprojectsarepresentedthatillustratehowmanyofthesestepswereaddressed.

Does the Site Flood? Afundamentalquestion.Ifthesitedoesnotflood,thenriverprocessesarenotoperatingonitanditwillnotfunctionasriparianhabitat.

Evaluate Existing Site Conditions Determine how river processes affect the site. Existing site conditions will determine the growth andreproduction of each species that will be planted. What is the potential for future changes to existingconditions?

Land Use HistoryInterviewswithformerlandownersandneighbors,agriculturerecordsofthesite,andFederalandStateAgencypersonnelfamiliarwiththesitecanprovideahistoryoflandusethatcanbeusefulincurrentplantdesign.Ifthesitewaspreviouslyfarmed,thefarmermighthaveusefultipssuchaswhatcropsgrewwellinwhichlocationsandwheretheproblemareasofthesite(e.g.poorsoils,patternsofflooding,sedimentdeposition)werethatneededextrairrigationorwereavoidedalltogether.Thisinformationcangiveaheadstartonselectingtheappropriateplantingdesign.

Hydrology Usingseveralsourcesof information,suchasstreamflowdata,aerialphotos,andinputfromhydraulicengineers,evaluatethefloodrecurrenceintervalonthesite,bothcurrentlyandhistorically.FloodeventshavebeenphotographedfromtheairovertheCentralValleysince1937.Certainareas(e.g.,aroundtheDelta)havehaddetailed landsurveyscarriedout since theearly1900s such thatchannel locationsareknownfromthattime.ThechannellocationoftheSacramentoRiverisknownforeveryyearsince1896,basedupontherecordsofsteamboatsfromthattime.

Soils Evaluationofsoilfeatureswillbethemostimportantecologicalfactorthatdeterminesthegrowthofeachindividualplantofallspecies.Back-hoepitsorsoilaugerholesshouldbeexcavatedatseverallocationsacrosstherestorationsitewithguidancefromanNRCSwebsoilsurveymap.Particularattentionshouldbegiventodepthtowatertable(wintervs.summerlevels),andstratificationofsoiltextures(presenceofsandlensesorclaylayers)fromthetoptothebottomofthepit.Thisinformation,coupledwithknowledgeforeachspeciesaboutitsrooting-depthandpatternsofrootgrowthinvarioussoiltextureswillallowtherestorationplannertodevelopapaletteofspeciesthatwilllikelygrowonthesite.

Sediment Transport Evaluationofbankerosion rateson thesiteandconsequentchannelmeanderacross thesite.Sedimentdepositionacrossthesiteafterafloodshouldbeevaluated.Theexistenceandageofpointbarswilltellmuchaboutthemagnitudeofsedimenttransportatthecurrenttime.

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Existing Vegetation Mapouttheexistingvegetationonthesite.Nativetreesandshrubscanbeincorporatedintotheplantingdesign,whereasinvasivespeciesshouldbetargetedforremoval.Donotforgetaboutnativeherbaceousunderstoryspecies.

Conceptual Site Specific Model of Biology and Physical Succession Baseduponthesiteevaluation,aconceptualmodelcanbedevelopedforplantsuccessionundertheinfluenceofcurrentphysicalriverprocesses.Thismodelisessentiallyasynthesisoftheinformationgatheredduringthesiteconditionsevaluation.Theconceptualmodelhelpsvisualizethebiologicaltrajectoryofthesiteunderthecurrentconditionswithandwithoutrestoration.Forexamplesofconceptualmodels,refertothecasestudiesinSectionXII.

State of the Hydrograph Allplantsandanimalsthatresideonthefloodplainofariverareadaptedtothetimingofflowsthroughouttheyear.Theseasonality,frequency,anddurationoffloodeventstodayshouldbecomparedwithhistoricaldata.Anaturalhydrographshowslowflowsduringthesummerandfall,withhigherflowsduringthewinterandspring.Itisthespringtimerecessionlimbofthehydrograph(movingfromspringintosummer)thatisecologicallycriticalforseeddispersalandseedlingestablishmentonexposedmineralsubstrateofseveralimportantriparianplantspecies.Howcanyoudeterminewhichpathtotakeforaneffectiverestoration?Existingsiteconditionsandlocalknowledgeshouldbesufficienttoanswerthis.However,awaytoobtainanindependentsourceofinformationwouldbetostudyhistoricalandcurrentrecordsofriverflows.Allrivers and streams in California have gaging stations located somewhere along them that continuouslymeasurethewater-elevationoftheriver. Seereal-timewaterdataforCalifornia(USGS2009)andtheCaliforniaDataExchangeCenter(CDWR2009a).Plottingthedailywatersurfaceelevationfortheentireyearwillrevealagraphthatrisesduringrainfalleventsandremainshigherduringthewinterandspringcomparedtosummerandfallelevations.Ifthehydrographindicatessmoothrisingandfallingrelativetorainfallandrun-off,thentheriverhasanaturalhydrograph.Onriverswithdams,thehydrographcanbeastraight,horizontallinethroughtheentireseason,orevenhavehigherflowsduringthesummerthaninthewinter,andpeakstreamflowsmaybemuchlessvariableovertime.Nativeplantswillneverre-establishunderaflat-linehydrographbecausethetiminganddurationoffloodingisnot-naturalornon-existent(flatlinehydrograph).Horticulturalrestorationwouldbecalledforonsuchheavilymanagedrivers.Processrestorationwouldbeindicatedwheretheflowsmimicthenaturalhydrograph.

Horticultural vs. Process RestorationBasedupon the siteevaluation, specifically theexistinghydrologyasdisplayedby thehydrograph, therestoration planner can determine the probability that the site can “restore itself.”Typically, a river inCaliforniawithadamwillrequirehorticulturalrestorationbecausetheriverprocessescannotprovidetheneededconditionsforregenerationofmostspecies(seedlingestablishmentandgrowth).Processrestorationmaybeaviablewaytorestoreasiteifriverprocessesarestillfunctioning.Interventionintheformofleveeremoval,modificationoftopography,landusechanges,andremovalofnon-nativeweedsmayberequiredtoinitiatenaturalbiologicalprocesses.

List of Species Basedupontheconceptualmodel,developalistofplantspeciesthatwillsurviveandgrowonthesiteafterthreeyearsofirrigationandweedcontrol.

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Structure Needs of Target SpeciesWiththelistofplantspeciesthatwillgrowonthesite,andknowledgeofthehabitatneedsofthetargetwildlife,therestorationplannercanarrangeindividualsofeachplantspeciesintoapatternthatthetargetwildlifewilluse.Thatis,theplannercandesigngrovesoftrees,shrubthickets,andherbaceousopenings,allatwhateverareaorproportionofthesitemightbeneeded.Workwithabroadlytrainedwildlifeecologisttoapplyinformationinrestorationplanningefforts.Plentyofgoodqualitativeandquantitativeinformationisavailableinthescientificliteratureandpublishedspeciesaccountsdescribingwildlifehabitatpreferences,suchastheCalPIFfocalbirdspeciesandCWHRdiscussedearlier.

Recreation NeedsAspartoftherestoration,recreationalfacilitiesmaybeincluded.Hikingtrails,riveraccess,andhuntingmaybeincorporatedintotheplantingdesign.

Flood ConveyanceOnthelargeriversthatfunctionasfloodways,arestorationdesignmustbefloodneutral,thatis,theplantingmustnotchangethedepthoffloodwatersbothupstreamanddownstreamofthesite,andtheplantingmustnotdirectflowsintobridges,levees,etc.Plantingdesignscanbedevelopedtoassistinfloodandsedimentconveyancebydirectingflowsawayfromstructuresorprotecting levees fromerosion.Acertifiedcivilengineer,specializinginfloodconveyance,maybeneededtoverifythefloodneutrality.Thismayinvolveahydraulicmodelexaminationoftheplantingdesign.

Neighbor Concerns Howdoes theprojectaffectadjoining landsandotherconservationefforts? Neighborsofa restorationplantingcanusuallyofferusefulinformationaboutthesite.Theymayalsohaveconcernsaboutwildlifeandhumantrespass.Oftentrespassconcernscanbemitigatedbyplantingbuffersorbordersalongtheedgesoftheplantingthatwilldiscouragehumantrespass,suchasrose,blackberry,andpoisonoakhedgerowsthatalsohavewildlifebenefits.

Develop Planting DesignTheaboveevaluationsshouldprovidesufficientinformationtodevelopthefinalplantingdesign.Proportionsofeachspeciesacrossthesite,densityofplants,thepatternoftheplantsacrossthesite,understoryplantingthatwillpreventnon-nativeweedspeciesfromcolonizingand/orspreadingonthesitecanbedeterminedfromthisinformation.

Restoration Plan Developadocumentthatpullstogetherandexplainsecologyandimplementationaspectsofarestorationproject, provides a project timeline, provides a budget, describes implementation methods, describesmonitoringandadaptivemanagementprotocolsforthesite.

Implementation of the planting designImplementation involves planting, effective weed control, irrigation, and monitoring over a three yearperiod.

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B. Tools for Planning

Duringtheplanningprocessofarestorationproject,thesetoolswillbeneededathand:

River Atlas –Severalyearsofmapsoftheriveronyourprojectsitewillhelpillustratethemeanderoftheriverovertime.Manycanbefoundonline,forexample,anatlasoftheSacramentoRiverfromtheSacramentoRiverAreaConservationForumin1997and2007.Aerial Photos – Liketheatlasitwouldbegoodtohaveseveralyearsofaerialphotosfromyourprojectsite,tovisualizehowyoursitefloodsduringmajorfloodevents,andtoseeanypreandpostdamchangestoflows.Manycanbefoundonlineforfreeororderedespeciallyforyourlocationandtheyearspecified.Flood Control Reports – Quantitativehistoricalflowdataforsites throughout thestatecanbefoundattheCaliforniaDataExchangeCenter(CDWR2009a).Thisinformationwillbenecessaryfordesigning the restorationplantings inaway thatwillkeepa sitefloodneutral and increasechancesofplantsurvival.Watershed Plan – For information on watersheds throughout California, check out the UCDavisCaliforniaWatershedAssessmentManual,theUCDavisICECaliforniaRiversAssessmentInteractiveWebDatabase,andtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResourcesWatershedsPage.Aprojectwillbeinfluencedbytheareaandelevationofitswatershed,thepresenceofdamsandriverchanneling,andthelandusesthroughoutthewatershed.NRCS web soil surveys – Soilsurveyswillprovideabaselineofunderstandingofthesoiltypespresentatagivenprojectsite,andthesesurveyscanhelpdecidehowmanysoilcoresshouldbetakenthroughouttheprojectsite.Wildlife Habitat Relationships – Use information about wildlife species that could occur attheprojectsite,todesignarestorationthatwillprovidenesting,foodandcover.TheCaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Game wildlife habitat relationships provide life history and habitatrelationshipsfor694wildlifespeciesthroughoutthestate.Forspecifichabitatdescriptionsoffocalbirdspecies,seetheRHJVRiparianBirdConservationPlan.Hydraulic Models –AllthelargeriversinCaliforniahavehydraulicmodelsthatestimatewaterdepthandvelocityatgivenflowsatspecificriverreaches.Inconsultationwithacivilengineer,ahydraulicmodelcantelltheplannerhowasitefloodsandatwhatflowsfloodingstarts.Potentialplantingdesignscanbetestedusingthehydraulicmodelfortherivertodetermineanyimpactthatavegetationplantingmayhave.Bay Delta Conservation Plan (CALFED) –Regionalconservationplansmayexistforyourriver.The California Bay-Delta Plan encompasses the entire watershed of the Sacramento River andidentifiesareaswherehabitatrestorationshouldbetakingplace.Central Valley Joint Venture (CVJV) Implementation Plan –ProvidesquantitativeobjectivesfortheconservationoffocalspeciesofriparianbirdsbygeographicregionsoftheCentralValley.www.centralvalleyjointventure.org.

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A. Objective 1: The Local CommunityArestorationplanmustdescribehowtheproposedrestorationwillinteractwiththelocalneedsandusesoftheriver.Localresidentscanofferaperspectiveofthelocalecologybaseduponmanyyearsofexperience.Engagingneighborsearlyintheplanningprocessisalwaysagoodideasothattheirexperienceandconcernscanbeincorporatedintotherestorationplan.

1. Flood Damage ReductionHowtherestorationprojectaffectslocalfloodcontrolstructuresandtheirmanagementmustbedescribedindetail.Consultationwithlocalleveemaintenancedistricts,theCentralValleyFloodprotectionBoard,ortheArmyCorpsofEngineersmayberequired.Anevaluationoftheplantingdesignbyacivilengineerthatspecializesinthehydraulicsoffloodflowsmaybeneeded.Modificationofadesignmayberequiredbaseduponmodelingresultstoensureaflood-neutralrestorationdesign.

Aflood-neutral riparian restoration project is defined as a restoration planting that does not cause anychangeintheexistinglocalwatersurfaceelevationorvelocityofwaterflowduringaflood,anddoesnotdirectflowsintoleveesorotherstructures.Inotherwords,thewaterelevationduringafloodwillremainwithinthethresholdofmaximumflowthatthefloodwaywasengineeredtocontainaftertherestorationplantingshavegrown.

2. Improve Water Quality and Increase SupplyTheconveyanceofagriculturalandurbanwaterforthelocalcommunityisamajoruseofthelargeriversinCalifornia. Diversionsaffectquantityofwater in thechanneland thehydrographof the river. Therestoration planner must accommodate the existing water management regime into the proposed plantdesign.Forexample,irrigationconveyanceoftencausestherivertoflowrelativelyhigh(sometimesthisis thehighestflowof theyear)ata timeof theyearwhenflowswouldnaturallybereceding.Thiscanraisehavocwiththenativeplantsandanimalsthatareadaptedtothenaturalflowregime(seeAdaptationtoHydrographboxes1and2).Ontheotherhand,theecologicallyartificialhighflowsmayresultinanelevatedwatertablethatwillbenefitsomespeciesofplants.

3. Recreation and Public UseRecreationalusewillhappenontherestorationsite,regardlessofsignageorpatrols.Therestorationplanshouldaddressfutureopportunitiesforhuntingandfishing,wildlifeviewingandnatureappreciation.Thismayinvolvedevelopmentoftrailsthatdirectusersawayfromsensitiveareasorplantingbufferssuchasrose,blackberryorpoisonoakthatphysicallykeeppeopleawayfromsensitiveareasandprivateproperty.AspecialuseinsomeregionsisfortherestorationprojecttoalsofunctionasaNativeAmericancollectionsiteforplantmaterialfortraditionaluses.

VI. Design Objectives

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4. Watershed Benefits

Riparianrestorationcanhavemanypositivebenefitstothesurroundingregionallandscapeandthelocalcommunity,andtheseshouldbecommunicatedtothepublictoincreaseawareness.Often,thepotentialsitesforrestorationareagriculturalfieldsthatarenoteconomicallyviablebecauseoftheirproximitytothe riverandfrequencyofflooding,and these landscan thenbepurchasedfromwillingsellers. Therearealsoseveralfederalcostshareprogramstoassistwithexchangeoflandandhabitatimprovementonprivatelands(BudgetSectionIX).Restoredriparianhabitatcanprovideseveralbenefitstothesurroundingcommunitiessuchas:

Enhancing Flood Control by directing flows, stabilizing banks, and trapping large debris andsediment(ChagrinRiverWatershedPartners,Inc2001).Improving air andwater quality through carbon sequestration and by filtering nonpoint sourcepollution.Providingandenhancingrecreationonthesite(hiking,canoeingetc.)andbysupportingfishandwildlife(birdwatching,hunting,andfishing)(OppermanandMerenlender2004).Supportingadjacentagriculturebyattractingbeneficial insectsand throughsuppressionofnon-nativeinvasiveweeds(CaliforniaFarmBureauFederation2008).

B. Objective 2: The Horticultural Potential

Oneofthefundamentalcomponentsofarestorationplanistheidentificationofreferencesitestouseasguidesfordevelopingthelistofspeciestobeinstalled,theirdensitiesandassociationstobeplantedacrosstherestorationsite.Fromanecologicalperspectivethis,arguably,cannotbedonebecausetheinfluenceofriparianecologicalprocessesareverydifferenttodayintheCentralValleythanwhentheriverswerenotregulatedbydams,leveesanddiversions.Inotherwords,today’sfunctioningofriparianecologicalprocessesisnotnatural,andthisimpedesourabilitytopredictplantsuccessionandsurvivaldecadesintothefuture.However,referencesitesareespeciallyusefulforcommunicatingarestorationvisiontoclientsand the community.A series of reference sites that are shared with others during a peer-review of therestorationplancanbeveryusefulandimportantastheplannerdevelopstheplantdesign.Informationandknowledgegapscanbeidentifiedearlyonintheplanningprocess.Horticulturalrestorationrequiresknowledgeoflocalsiteconditionsinorderforaplantingtosuccessfullyestablish.Itiscommonforrestorationprojectstoincludeathreeyearmaintenanceregime,duringwhichtheplantsareirrigated,weedsarecontrolledandmortalityiskeptunderaspecifiedlevelbyre-planting.Beyondthisperiodofmaintenance,specieswillonlysurviveiftheyarewellmatchedtothesiteconditions.Speciesofplantsmustbematchedtosoiltypesandhydrologicconditionsunderwhichtheywillgrowandprosper.Consequently,thefirststepindevelopingaplanandalistofspeciesforanyriparianrestorationprojectisadetailedsiteevaluationthatdescribessoilsandlocalhydrology.EcologicalpreferencesofselectriparianplantsareprovidedinAppendix3.Animportantdesignstrategyistoplantmoreindividualplantsperacrethancanpossiblysurvivetoamaturesize.Thiswillforcecompetitionamongspeciesandindividuals,withsomeindividualsofsomespeciesdyingovertheyears.Theresultwillbeaplantcommunitycomposedofspeciesthatarewell-adaptedtotheexistingecologicalconditionsofthesite.Thisstrategyforcestheplannertocarefullyconsiderwhatspeciestoinstallandtopayattentiontothetreetoshrubratioofthedesign.Forexample,toomanycottonwoodsperacrecanresultwithinfiveyearsinaclosedcanopycottonwoodforestwithnounderstorybecauseofcompetitionforsunlight.Whatistoomanycottonwoods?Theanswerwillinvolveanunderstandingofbothcottonwoodgrowthcharacteristicsandtheabilityofthesitetoprovidefavorablegrowingconditions.

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California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 26

1. SoilsSoil conditions are the most important factors that determine the survival and growth of any species. (If any species cannot grow in the soil on a site, then the restoration planting will fail). Examination of the NRCS web soil surveys for the project site will help determine how many soil cores are needed to ground truth the soil maps. Soil cores will also provide information about the soil texture and stratification across the site. Depth to the water table must also be determined at multiple locations throughout the site. The number of soil cores and measurements to water table depth will vary by site but soil surveys, river atlases, and aerial photos can help determine this.

a. Texture and Stratification

Soil texture, the proportion of gravel, sand, silt, and clay (Figure 6), usually varies greatly across the entire site. Often this variation is because riparian floodplains receive coarse sediments – sand and gravel – during

Figure 5: Root-Soil Profile Interaction

Lenses of course soil in the soil profile will affect the growth of plants; lenses of gravel may prevent species that require access to the water table from surviving.

Figure 4: Soil Particle Sizes

The diameter of soil particles determines their classification as either clay, silt, or sand.

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overbankflowswhichdepositontopof finer sediments. Likewise, soiltexture can dramatically vary withdepth,resultinginstratificationofthesoilprofile.Thislayeringofdifferenttexturescanresultincoarsesediments– sand and gravel – lying above orbelowmuchfinersiltsandclays.Plantroot growth will be greatly affectedby these discontinuities in the soilprofile. The movement of irrigationwaterthroughthesoilprofilealsowillbe affected by these discontinuities,whichinturnwillaffectrootgrowth(Refer to Section XII, BuffingtonCase Study to see how soil profilesinfluencedplantingdesign).

To a large extent, soil texture,determines the survival and growthrate of each species (see SectionXIII for a comparison of ecologicaltolerances among selected riparianspecies). For example, species suchas cottonwood and sycamore growrapidlyinsoilsthathaveahighproportionofsand,whilevalleyoakgrowbestinheaviersoilscomposedmostlyofsiltandclay.Soiltextureiscriticaltoplantsurvivalandgrowthbecausethesoilparticlesizesdetermine thewater holding capability. Largeparticles such as sand allowwater to drainquickly andcannotholdwaterforextendedperiods.Smallerparticlessuchassiltdonotallowwatertodrainquicklyandasaresultwaterisavailabletoplantrootsforalongerduration.Asaresult,soiltexturecandeterminethemethodof irrigation. Forexample,apredominantlysandysitemaynotallowfor theuseofflood-irrigationduetorapiddrainage,soadrip-irrigationsystemmayberequired.Othermanagementpracticesareaffectedbysoiltexture.Iftheprofileishighlystratified,rootgrowthmayberestrictedtoonlythelayerswithfinertexturesresultinginpoorrootsystemdevelopmentandconsequentlossoftop-growth.Onasitewithhighlystratifiedsoil,apost-holeaugerorbackhoemayberequired todigplantingholes thatwillhomogenizethesoilprofile,allowingrootdevelopmenttopenetratedownward.

b. Depth to Water Table Depth to water table is second in ecological importance behind soils for determining species survival,growthandthecommunitystructureofthevegetation(Figure7,nextpage).Depthtowatertablemustbeknownforseveralpointsacrossasite,asitmayvarybyseveralfeet.Deepsoil-augurcoresandsoilpitsamplestakenonthesitewillallowthedepthtowatertabletobemeasuredifwaterisreached,orestimatedifsoilbecomesmoistatthebottomofthepit.Depthtothewatertablecanalsobemeasuredwithmultiplepiezometersplacedintothegroundthatreachthegroundwatertable.Cottonwoodandwillowsabsolutelymustgrowtheirrootsintotheupperportionofthewatertablewithinthethree-yearmaintenanceperiod,ortheywilldiewhenirrigationisstopped.Otherspeciesoftreesandshrubswillprosperbygrowingtheirrootsintothewatertable,however,thisisnotarequirementforsurvival.Soilprofileanddepthtowatertableinteractandcanbeaproblemforrootgrowthifthetopofthewatertableiswithinalayerofcobblesorgravelwhererootscannotgrowwell,makingthewatertablefunctionallyout-of-reachoftheroots.

http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/1411/1445480/FG12_15_wo_arrows.JPGFigure 6: Soil triangle illustrating the classification of soil textures based on the percent clay, silt and sand.

http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/1411/1445480/FG12_15_wo_arrows.JPG

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c.NutrientsinSoils(naturalvs.fertilizer)Riparian soils are some of the richest in the state. Deep loamy soils, in combination with a water table within reach of plant roots, support rapid growth throughout the growing season for all species. Naturally occurring nutrients in the soil are abundant and readily available for plant growth. For example, stem cuttings of willow and cottonwood can grow to 6 feet tall the first season and valley oak grown from an acorn can grow to 4 feet the first year. With this kind of plant performance, additional fertilizer at the time of planting is not necessary.

d.IrrigationandWeedControlareDeterminedbySoilsWhen implementing restoration, characteristics of the soil on the site will determine the hardware needed for irrigation, the timing of application of irrigation, and the timing and logistics for weed control. Soils composed predominantly of sand will drain rapidly after irrigation or a rainstorm. On sandy soils, irrigation must be by sprinklers or drip system; flood-furrow method will not work efficiently due to the rapid drainage. By contrast, on soils composed predominantly of silts and clay, drainage of irrigation and rain is much slower. For this reason irrigation by flood-furrow may be feasible. However, rain will turn these soils into mud that will not allow tractors and spray-rigs to enter a field for many days longer than when compared to sandy soils, affecting the logistics of weed control.

2.Hydrology,FloodFrequency,andGeomorphologyFlooding frequency on a site, or the flooding recurrence interval, will determine the plant species that will be able to prosper on the restoration site. The geomorphology of the site (its topography) will interact with flooding recurrence interval to provide a broad range of hydrologic conditions over a small amount of

Rooting depth requirements of riparian species must be known, along with the depth to the water table across the site, so that planted species will survive and thrive after irrigation is no longer applied.

Figure7: Rooting Depth Requirements of Select Riparian Species

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area.Forexample,plantspeciescanadapttodifferentfloodingdurationsorregimesthatvaryinelevationonthescaleofinchesandfeet.Floodingfrequencywillalsodetermineweedcommunitycompositionandthelevelofrodentpopulations.Forexample,asitethatfloodsannuallywillhaveaverydifferentweedcommunityandmuchlowerrodentpopulationscomparedtoasitethatmayfloodonceeveryfiveyears.

3. Plant Material for Propagation Seedsandstem-cuttingsfromlocalsourceswillgeneratethebestresultsforsuccess.Allplantspeciesarecomposedofpopulations thatareadapted to the local soil andhydrologicconditionswhere theygrow.Populationsthatareseparatedbygreatdistances,elevation,orgrowondifferentsoiltypeswithinthesamewatershedaregeneticallyadaptedtothesedifferentecologicalsites.Inarestorationplan,thesourceofthelocalplantmaterialshouldbeidentified.Whatisthedefinitionoflocal?Localreferstotheecologicalsimilarityof theplantmaterial collection sitetotherestorationsite.Ecologicalsimilarityisdefined by soils, hydrology, and geographicdistance. Plant material collected from a sitewith the same soil type and flooding regimeandashortgeographicaldistanceawaywouldfit the definition of local. When contractingforplantmaterialfromacommercialnursery,besurethatthecontractspecifiespropagationfrom local genetic sources. Many of theplant species used in low-elevation riparianrestoration grow throughout California, yetthey are all adapted to the local hydrologicconditions of the watershed that they growin. For example,Oregonashgrowing in theSacramentoValleybeginsnewgrowth in lateMarch, while the same species at the southedge of theDeltawaits untilMayfirst. Theinitiation of spring growth is controlled bydifferentgeneticmakeupoftheashinthetwogeographicregions.

Locallycollectedseedandcuttingswillalwaysperformbetterthanseedfromoutsidethewatershed. Populationsofallspeciesthatweseetodayhavebeenpresentsincethedistantpast,atleastsincethelastice-age20,000yearsago;mostprobablyformuchlonger.Thesepopulationshaveexperiencedclimatechangebeforeandtheyhaveadapted.Thus,thereislikelysufficientgeneticvariationwithintoday’spopulationstomeettheenvironmentalchallengesofglobalwarmingandclimatechange.Inordertocapturethegeneticvariationpresentinapopulationoneshouldcollectfromasmanyindividualsasispossible,overarangeofelevations,andthroughoutthefloweringandseed-setseason(earlyandlatebloomers).

Therestorationistmaybeaskedtoplantagenetic“super-tree”thatcangrowfasterandtallerthananywildindividual.Thisisaforestryapproachtorestoration,notanecologicalapproach.Theproblemwiththe“super-tree”isit’srelativegeneticuniformity(theyareallthesame)andconsequentinabilitytoadjusttofutureclimatechangesbecausetheyhavenogeneticvariationtocalluponforadaptingtoclimatechange.

The following links describe genetic issuesinvolved in restoration, conservation, andlandscapingingreatdetailduetothesignificanceofthisissue.

CaliforniaNativePlantSociety,GuidelinesforlandscapingtoprotectnativevegetationfromgeneticdegradationUniversityofCaliforniaGeneticResourcesConservationProgram,factsheetongeneticsUSDAForestService,GeneticallyappropriatechoicesforplantmaterialstomaintainbiologicaldiversitySocietyforEcologicalRestoration,AnIntroductiontoRestorationGenetics

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Native Plants and Genetics

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C. Objective 3: Designing the Plant AssociationKeeping in mind current and future site conditions, plant an association of species that will proceed through ecological succession into a sustainable community OR that will maintain a desired physical structure.

1. Conceptual Model of Riparian Plant SuccessionWhenselectingplantspeciesforarestorationproject,itisimportanttounderstandhoweachspecieswillrespondover time to thesite-specificecologicalconditions.Thedevelopmentofaconceptualmodelofplantcommunitysuccessionovertimerelativetoriverprocessesisanimportantexerciseduringrestorationdesign.Fourconceptualmodelsareshown,oneforeachcasestudyinSectionXII.

Theconceptualmodelforsuccessionontherestorationsiteallowstheplannertoestimatefutureconditionsoftheproposedrestorationdesign.Therestorationplannermusthavesomepredictionofthesuccessionaltrajectoryfortheplantdesign.Thetermsuccessionaltrajectoryreferstochangesinthespeciescompositionoftheplantcommunityovertime(yearsanddecades)onasite.Forexample,onanintensivelymanagedriverwithmultipledamsanddiversions, riverprocesses arevirtuallynotoperatingbecausehighflowsandfloodingrarelyoccur.Aplantingalongthistypeofriverwillfollowadifferentsuccessionaltrajectorycomparedtoariverwhichstilliscapableoffloodingitsfloodplainonafrequenttimeline.Thechangesin species composition will be a result of the magnitude and timing of ecological river processes thatoperateontherestorationsite.Eachspecies’adaptationtotheseprocesseswilldetermineitsgrowthandreproductive abilities on the site.The restoration planner must have some knowledge of each species’abilitytopersistundertheecologicalprocessesthatexisttoday,andthosethatareexpectedinthefutureonarestorationsite.Isthewatertablewithinreachoftherootingdepthofspeciesthatrequireabundantsoilmoisturethroughtheentireyear?Willthesoiltextureprofilesupportthedevelopmentofthesizeofplants(largetree/shrubvs.small)afterdecadesofgrowth?

A possible solution is to plant early successional species – willow and cottonwood – along with latersuccessionalspeciessuchasvalleyoakandelderberry–orplantingof“twoforests”.Thefirstwillprovidestructurefromrapidlygrowingspecies,whiletheslowergrowingoaksandelderberrywillbecomedominantinthefuture.

2. Climate Change and RestorationClimateChangeinthefuturewillalterriverphysicalprocesses,modifyingthesurvivalofplants,andfurtherconfusing riparianecology inCalifornia. Whatcan theplannerdo toaccount for the largelyunknownmagnitudeofchangesinthefuture?Theansweristoplanforecologicalresilience.Ecologicalresiliencemeans that a population of organisms will adapt to environmental changes over decades and centuriesandpersistintothefuture.Ecologicalresilienceofarestorationplantingmightmeanthatitwillpersistintothefutureprovidinghabitatastheclimatechanges.Planningforecologicalresiliencemightinvolvetheplantingof“twoforests”composedofspeciesfrombothearlyandlaterseralstages.Atthelevelofindividual species, plant material for the restoration should be composed of the range of local geneticvariationofeachspeciesthatwillallowforfutureadaptationtoclimatechange.

Before,during,andafterclimatechange,riparianareaswillremainimportantcorridorsforwildlifeastheirlocalhabitatschange.Aschangesinclimatebecomebetterunderstood,theoptimallocationsforriparianrestorationmaymove, inorder tokeep these corridors as contiguousaspossible. Methods in riparianrestorationwillhavetorespondtoclimatechangesastheyoccur.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

D. Objective 4: Habitat Structure for WildlifePlant an association of species that can support high native wildlife richness through a diverse structure, pattern, and density of vegetation.

1. Planting Design for Wildlife StructureAllspeciesofwildliferequirecharacteristictypesofvegetationstructureforbreeding,foraging,andnesting.Vegetation structure canbedefinedas the foliagevolume (or coverof foliage)byheight for adefinedarea.Forexample,amaturecottonwoodforestprovidesahigh(tensofmetersabovetheground)layerofcanopycoverthatshadesouttheshrubandgroundlayersofvegetation,dependingonthedensityofthecottonwoodtrees.Wheretherearegapsinthetrees,enoughsunlightisavailabletolowergrowingspecies.Shrubsplantedtoodenselywillnotallowsufficientherbaceouscovertodevelop.Aplantingofamixtureoftreesandshrubswillhavevegetativecoveratawiderangeofheightsandvolumeabovethesoilsurface.Amixtureof densityof theplantingsof trees and shrubs is also important.Groundcover such as lowherbaceousandforbspeciessurvivebestinopeningsofcoverwheretreeandshrubdensitiesarelow.Anyrestorationdesignshouldincludeashrubandherbaceousunderstorycomponent.Anunderstorycomposedofwoody shrubs,herbaceousperennial forbs,nativegrasses, sedgesand rushes is an importanthabitatstructuralcomponentformanyspecies.Inaddition,adenseunderstorywillkeepnon-nativeweedsfromflourishing.Mosaicsofstructureanddensityinrestorationplantingsprovidearangeofnesting,foraging,andcoverforwildlife.

If fish are known to use the floodplain during flood, the restoration planner can design vegetation toaccommodate theirneeds.Forexample, theSacramentosplittail spawnsonfloodedfloodplains inmid-spring,attachingitseggstosubmergedherbaceousvegetationwheretheyhatchbeforethewaterrecedes.Several recent studieshave linkedhigh levelsoffloodplainprimaryproductivity (Schemel et al. 2004,Lehmanetal.2007)withincreasedfishgrowthandsurvivalrates(Sommeretal.2001,Feyreretal.2006).Riparianvegetationisavitalcomponenttothequalityoffloodplainhabitattoanadromousfish,andfishspeciesrichnessincreaseswherethereareavarietyofriparianplantcommunities(Feyreretal.2004).Themovementofwateristypicallysloweronfloodplainsthaninthemainchannel,temperaturesarehigherandlargequantitiesofphytoplankton,invertebrates,andplantmaterialssuchasleaves,fruits,andseedsareabundant.Theseconditionsallowfishtolowerenergyexpendituresandincreasemetabolism,resultinginfastergrowth(Sommeretal.2001).Asdiscussedearlier,theRHJVhasidentifiedsixteen“focalspecies”ofripariandependentbirdsthatareoftenusedastargetsofrestorationprojectsinCalifornia.Othernon-birdspeciesthatareoftenthefocalspeciesforarestoration,includetheRiparianbrushrabbitandtheValleyElderberryLonghornBeetle,botharelistedspeciesundertheEndangeredSpeciesAct.Designingandplantingavegetationstructureforatargetspeciescanbeaccomplishedbyadjustingthedensityandpatternofindividualplants.Patternreferstotherelativeplacementoftreesandshrubsthatwillresultinvariousstructures.Forexample,plantingclustersofatreespeciescanaffectwildlifethatusethetreespeciesbyappearingasalargeplotofhabitat,largerthanasingletreewouldappear.Likewise,densityofplanting,whichreferstothenumberofplantspeciesperarea,affectshowthehabitatisperceivedbywildlife.Thedensityofplantspeciescanbealteredtomeettheneedsoftargetwildlifespecies.Plantspeciesthatareimportantforpollinatorinsectscanbeinstalledinrelativelylargernumbers.Likewise,clustersoffruit-bearingshrubscanbeplantedtobenefitfrugivorousbirdsthroughouttheyear.

Predatorsand/ornestparasitesarecriticalmortalityfactorsforriparianwildlifeinalteredsystems.Closeexamination of these factors is necessary for setting management goals in conjunction with restoringvegetationstructure.

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2. Improving Mitigation for WildlifeThesinglespeciesdesignandnarrowfocusofmitigationplantingsrestricttheecosystembenefitsthattheplantingscanprovide.However,mitigationplantingscanbeincorporatedintolargerrestorationprojects,increasing the value of the overall project. Regulatory agencies responsible for overseeing mitigationprojectscanbeflexible.Ultimately,theirgoalistooptimizethevalueoftheplantingsforthetargetedspeciesorecosystemfunction,andthiscanbeinlinewiththegoalsofbroaderscopedrestorationprojects.

3. Non-native Invasive PlantsRiparian areas in the CentralValley support the richest soils in California.This coupled with the highwatertableswithinreachofrootsallowsforrapidgrowthbyplants.Non-nativeinvasiveplants(weeds)rapidlycolonizeanddominatethesesoilsintheunderstoryandexcludeseedlingsofnativetreesandshrubs.Abandonedfarmfieldstypicallyremaindominatedbyinvasiveweedsforyearsanddecades,especiallyonsitesthatrarelyflood.Woodyinvasives,suchasArundo(Arundodonax)andTamarisk(Tamarixspp),candeveloplargestandscomposedofdensestems.Thesespeciesprovidelittle,ifany,habitatvaluetowildlifeand can cause flood conveyance problems.Restoration plans should address short termweedmanagementonsiteandattempttodesignweed-proof plantings so that invasive speciescannot gain a foothold in the future. Careshouldbetakentolimitthespreadofinvasiveplantstoadjacentareasoftheprojectsite.

For references about invasive identification,impactsandcontrol,see:

CaliforniaInvasivePlantCouncilInvasiveSpeciesDefinedinaPolicyContext:RecommendationsfromtheFederalInvasiveSpeciesAdvisoryCommitteeUniversityofCaliforniaWeedResearchandInformationCenter

••

•

References for Invasives Identification, Impacts and Control

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A. Implementation Monitoring Thepurpose,significance,andsuccessofariparianrestorationprojectcanbe,andattimesarerequiredtobe,monitoredthroughouttheentireprocess.Thismeansmonitoringcantakeplacebeforeimplementation,during restoration, and after implementation. The California RapidAssessment Method (CRAM) is astatewide,standardizedmethodtomonitorwetlands(whichincluderiparianareas)inacost-effectiveandscientificallydefensiblemanner.Themethodsandhandbookareavailableonline(www.cramwetlands.org).Giventheecologicalcomplexityofanyrestorationsite,manyunknownswillaffecttheperformanceoftheplants.Consequently,implementationrequiresanadaptivemanagementapproachtothetimingandlevelofintensityofmanagementactionsduringimplementation.Adaptivemanagementrequiresthefieldmanagertocarryoutsmall-scaleexperimentsinthefieldthatwillinfluencehismanagementactionsinthefuture.

Implement management

Evaluate (progress

toward objective?)

Implement alternative

management

Develop objectives and design

yes

no

Monitor project

Modify?

Forexample,howoftenshouldirrigationbeapplied?Allplantspecieshaveinherentlydifferentrequirementsfor soilmoisture foroptimumgrowth. Inaddition, soilprofilesvaryacrossa site. Together, theplantspecies’individualrequirementsandthevariabilityinsoilsmeansthatuniformirrigationlevelsacrossthesitewillnotimpactallplantsequally.Thefieldmanagermustcarryoutsimpleexperiments,or“test-plots”,todeterminetheoptimalirrigationscheduleandamountsatdifferenttimesoftheyearthatwillresultintheactivegrowthofallspecies.

Timingofimplementationtasksiscriticaltoprojectsuccess.Delayingweedcontrolorirrigationbyevenafewdayscanhavedisastrous impactson thegrowthandsurvivalofplants. Monitoringtodeterminemaintenanceneedsmust takeplaceweekly,andduringcertain timesof theyear(e.g.midspring)dailymonitoringmayberequired.

VII. Monitoring Riparian Restoration Projects

Figure 8

One example of an adaptive man-agement procedure, where any step in project implementation can be revised as information is gathered, including the original objectives.

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B. Measuring “Restoration Success”Restoration success of the project will be determined by how well the goals for the project were met. Not only will success therefore be different for each restoration project, success can also be measured at several different levels.

1. The Contract Level Contracts require some kind of quantitative measure of performance to evaluate success. Most call for a cumulative survival of all plants and trees after the maintenance period of at least 70 percent. Percent cover of the entire site by native species is a reasonable performance goal when grasses or other herbaceous species are planted.

2. Horticultural Success In addition to survival, height and cover, or diameter at breast height of individuals of all species can be measured annually to track growth. Permanently marked sample plots are the ideal design, since they can also be used for post-project monitoring. Recent advances in the restoration of riparian understory species allows for restoration success to be defined as the percentage of the entire site that is covered by native species.

3. Wildlife UseMonitoring of use of the restoration planting by wildlife species is the ultimate measure of success of any riparian restoration project. The methods of monitoring depend on the original goals of the project and wildlife for which the restoration was designed. Monitoring methods will also depend on the resources available for monitoring, including time. Long-term monitoring is the best way to understand how wildlife respond to the project site. It is best to select wildlife that are considered umbrella species, which are species that represent many other species, and to select a range of umbrella species that represent multiple habitat requirements (Block et al. 2001). Landbird monitoring is an excellent way to measure restoration success, because birds are relatively easy to locate and observe and they cover a wide range of habitat types (RHJV 2004, Gardali et al. 2007). A diversity of birds on the site means the restoration successfully provided a diversity of habitat to them. Presence and absence monitoring is a useful indicator of the wildlife present on the site. More detailed surveys that can provide demographic data such as nesting success, mortality rates and monitoring over many years will indicate whether the site is functioning as quality habitat for breeding or as a site that wildlife use temporarily.

4. Mitigation SuccessMitigation can take the form of creating new habitat to replace the lost or enhancing existing habitat through for example, additional plantings and invasive species removal. Whether or not mitigation is successful depends on how suitable and accessible the habitat is for the targeted species, or how well the created habitat replicates the ecosystem services of the disrupted natural system. Unfortunately, evaluations of the mitigation process from the scientific assessment and quantification of the resources, to the monitoring of completed mitigation projects, have revealed many shortcomings (Holyoak et al. 2009). For one, multiple small scale mitigation projects that replace intact ecosystems, result in fragmented habitat (Noss et al. 1997). The timing of mitigation plantings with respect to take of natural habitat is also rarely addressed. Mitigated habitats may take decades or even centuries before they develop fully to provide all the resources needed by the imperiled species (Morris et al. 2006). All forms of mitigation require a monitoring plan, but these are frequently lacking in quality or missing altogether (Kareiva et al. 1999, Holyoak 2009). Too often mitigation allows development to proceed under the incorrect assumption that the losses of natural resources are offset through mitigation activities. New information (2009) suggests the effect of these habitat offsets on conservation is more placebo than clearly beneficial.

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C. Post-project, Long-term Evaluations in the Distant FutureLong-term evaluations of the success of restoration projects will be critical for refining methods andobjectives. However, restorationcontracts fundonly implementation tasks for three tofiveyears. Thequestionfortheimplementer,asacontractapproachesitsend,iswhatcanbeleftbehindthatwillallowforfutureevaluationoftheproject?Themostimportantitemsincludethefinaldraftoftheimplementationplanandanas-builtdrawingofthefinalplantingpatternsandspeciescompositions.Thecarefulplacementofpermanentmonitoringplotsandpermanentphotopointsacrossthesitewillalsoprovidesomelongtermmonitoringopportunities.

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A. Pre-project Approval Permits1. CEQA or NEPA

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) environmental compliance is dependent upon the funding source for the restoration project and the ownership of the project area. Typically, restoration on federal lands requires NEPA compliance. Funding from a state program (for example the Wildlife Conservation Board or Department of Water Resources Flood Protection Corridor Program) necessitates CEQA compliance.

2. Encroachment PermitAn encroachment permit must be secured from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board for all projects which encroach into rivers, waterways and floodways within and adjacent to federal and state authorized flood control projects and within designated floodways adopted by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. Depending on the district and river, there may be additional encroachment permits required by one of the several flood control districts throughout the state. As part of the encroachment permit application process, adjoining landowners and local levee districts must be contacted and informed of the restoration project. An endorsement must be obtained by the local levee district. If an application contains an endorsement from the local levee district, the General Manager of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board may issue an encroachment permit. If an application does not include such an endorsement, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board must meet to review the application and vote to issue a permit. During the review process by the Board, the project design and hydraulic analysis are examined. Once an encroachment permit is issued, a levee inspector from the Department of Water Resources must be notified and requested to conduct a site inspection 10 days prior to the start of the restoration project. General information regarding an application for encroachment permit can be found at the California Department of Water Resources encroachment permits page (CDWR 2009b).

3. Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement (1600)Section 1600 of the California Fish and Game Code requires that, prior to implementing a restoration project, activities that could significantly modify a stream, lake or river be identified. The California Department of Fish and Game must be notified and consulted with to determine whether or not an activity could substantially adversely affect an existing fish and wildlife resource.

Notify the Department of Fish and Game if any activity will: Substantially obstruct or divert the natural flow of a river, stream, or lake. Substantially change the bed, channel, or bank of a river, stream, or lake. Use any material from the bed, channel, or bank of a river, stream, or lake. Deposit or dispose of debris, waste, or other material containing crumbled, flaked, or ground pavement where it can pass into a river, stream, or lake.

••••

VIII. Permits

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If it is determined by the Department that there is an adverse effect on natural resources, a Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement is required. For more information, forms and instructions see the California Department of Fish and Game’s Lake or Streambed Alteration page.

4. Army Corps of Engineers 404 Section 404 of the Clean Water Act requires that permits are obtained prior to activities that could result in discharge into wetlands, streams, rivers and other U.S. waters. The Corps is responsible for issuing these permits. For an overview of Section 404, see US EPA 2009.

5. Water Quality Certification (401)Section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act grants each state the right to ensure that the State’s interests are protected on any federally permitted activity occurring in or adjacent to Waters of the State. In California, the State Water Resources Control Board is the agency mandated to ensure protection of the State’s waters.

A project that requires a federal permit or involves dredge or fill activities that may result in a discharge to U.S. surface waters and/or “Waters of the State” are required to obtain a Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification and/or Waste Discharge Requirements (Dredge/Fill Projects) determination from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, verifying that the project activities will comply with state water quality standards. If a project does not require a federal permit but does include dredge or fill activities, the Regional Water Quality Control Board may exercise the right to issue either a Water Discharge Requirements or Waiver of Waste Water Discharge Requirements determination.

It should be noted that CEQA compliance must be completed before consultation with the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

6. Archaeological SurveySeveral federal and state regulations, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), may require an archaeological survey or disclosure of known archaeological or cultural resources within or near the project area, and an assessment of potential impacts to these areas. If the restoration project is on state or federal land, an archaeological survey may have already been conducted. Consult with the state or federal agency and identify any known sensitive areas. Depending on the scope of the project and the potential impacts to culturally sensitive area, a more detailed archaeological survey and/or consultation may be needed.

Another source for obtaining information on archaeological and historical resources information is the California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS), which includes the statewide Historical Resources Inventory (HRI) database maintained by the Office of Historical Preservation (OHP) and the records maintained and managed, under contract, by twelve independent regional Information Centers (ICs). Individuals and government agencies seeking information on cultural and historical resources should contact the regional IC which services the county in which the resource is located. The locations, contact information, and counties served by each regional IC can be found on the CHRIS regional information center.

7. County Land Use Conversion Ordinances During the planning stages for the restoration project, research local land use conversion ordinances. There could be county ordinances that require a permit to convert agricultural lands to habitat, e.g., Butte County.

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ManyfarmsareundertheWilliamsonActwhichfreezespropertytaxesatsomehistoricrate.Whenfarmingisnolongercarriedoutontheland,backtaxesmustbepaid.

8. Voluntary Neighbor Agreements Specialplantingareastofunctionastrespassbarriers/bufferswithneighboringpropertyoftenareaconstraintthatcanaffect restorationdesignobjectives.Aneighboring landownermayrequest that the restorationdesignincludesuchabarrierthatcanbedesignedusingblackberry,rose,andpoisonoak.Anotherbarriermightinvolveplantingadensehedgerowoftreestointerceptpesticidedriftfromneighboringproperties.Suchhedgerowscanalsofunctionasextremelyvaluablehabitat.

9. Endangered Species ConsultationProjectsonfederalpropertyshouldbereviewedbytheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceortheNationalMarineFisheriesServicetodeterminepotentialimpactstofederallylistedspeciesanddesignatedcriticalhabitats.Under the authority of California State law, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has jurisdictionover the conservation, protection, and management of wildlife, native plants, and habitat necessary tomaintainbiologically sustainablepopulations.DFGservesmultiple roles indealingwith theCaliforniaEnvironmentalQualityAct.

B. Implementation Permits1. Burn Permits

Preparingasiteforarestorationprojectmayincludeburningtoeliminatedebrisandcontrolweeds.Aburnpermit,whichisissuedbythelocal(County)AirQualityControlDistrict,mustbesecuredpriortoanyburningofvegetativematerial.

2. Well Drilling Permits Priortodrillinganewproduction-wellwithintheprojectarea,acountywelldrillingpermitmustbeissued.Contact thecountypublichealthdepartmentor environmentalhealthdepartment forwell construction/deconstruction permit application. Every county will have different requirements and processes. Forexample,GlennCountywillallowapplicantstodecommissiontheirwells,whileTehamaCountyrequiresthatlicensedC-57drillerstoperformdecommission.Aninspectionisrequiredpriortoinstallingasanitaryseal after drilling a well and a final inspection and receipt of a satisfactory abandonment report anddisinfectionstatementisnecessaryfordecommissioningawell.Pumpingirrigationwaterfromtheriverrequiresafish-friendlyscreenovertheintakeandthelegalrighttotakethewater–forinformationonwaterrightsandpermitscontacttheStateWaterResourcesControlBoard.

3. Herbicide PermitsDependingontheownershipoftheprojectarea,severalpermitsarerequiredpriortotheinitiationofanherbicidemaintenanceprogram.Workonfederallands,suchasareasunderU.S.FishandWildlifeServicejurisdiction,requiresafederalPesticideUsePermit.RestorationprojectsonpropertiesunderCaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGamejurisdictionrequiresaStatePesticideUseRecommendationForm(880).

Allherbicideapplicationsshouldbecalibratedand/orconductedbyaPestControlAdvisor(PCA)orpersonnelwithaQualifiedApplicator’sLicense(QAL)orPrivateApplicator’sLicense(PAL).AllapplicationsshouldbedocumentedandreportedtotheCountyAgriculturalCommissioner,whichwillthenbereportedtotheDepartmentofPesticideRegulation.

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How is my project incorporated into the surrounding landscape?

A. Central Valley Flood Protection Board Encroachment PermitsTheCentralValleyFloodProtectionBoardischargedwithregulatingdevelopmentindesignatedfloodwaysin theCentralValley.ApermitmustbesecuredfromtheBoardbasedupontheconstruction/restorationplan.Plantingdensity,pattern,androworientationareimportantdesignfactors.Aflood-neutralplantingdesignisrequiredfortheBoardtoissueapermit.

B. Title 23. Waters (California Code of Regulations) ThisStateCodeofRegulationsdescribestheresponsibilitiesoftheCentralValleyFloodProtectionBoard.Itincludesalonglistofspeciesofplantsthatcanbeplantedonornearlevees,alistofunacceptablespecies,andspecificsofmanagementofplantsincloseproximitytoalevee.

C. Department of Water Resources (DWR) Flood Management DivisionTheStateofCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources(DWR)operatesandmaintains theStateWaterProject,includingtheCaliforniaAqueduct.TheDWRalsoprovidesdamsafetyandfloodcontrolservices.DWRisresponsibleforthemaintenanceof1,600milesofleveeswithinthestate,whichisfundedbytheGeneralFund.Theremainderistheresponsibilityoflocalleveeandreclamationdistricts.

D. Army Corps Operating & Maintenance (O&M) GuidelinesThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) influences restoration projects from two perspectives-infrastructuredevelopmentandregulation.Corpsengineershavedesigned,built, inspectedandcertifiedleveestofloodrecurrencestandards(RiversandHarborsActof1890).ConstructionactivitieswithintheNation’swaterwaysmustbeissuedapermitfromtheCorps.Inaddition,theCorpsisresponsibleforissuingCorps404permits for thefillingorotherdisturbanceofwetlandsandotherwatersof theUS (FederalWaterPollutionControlActamendmentsof1972).TheCorpswritestheO&MguidelinesforleveeandfloodwaymaintenanceandgivesthesetoDWR.Thesesameregulationsaretransferredtolocalleveeandreclamationdistrictsforimplementation.

IX. Coordination of Permits, Regulations, and Activities

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E. Levee and Reclamation Districts ResponsibilitiesLocalleveeandreclamationdistricts,undertheauthorityofStateWaterCode,weredevelopedtoprotectlands fromoverflow through the erectionof levees, dikes andotherfloodcontrol systems.These localdistrictsareresponsibleformonitoringleveeintegrityandforthemaintenanceofthesefloodprotectionsystems. Planning for restoration should include notification of the local leveemaintenance district asit may affect the district’s maintenance activities. Properties within the district are taxed to help fundmaintenance.

F. Regional and County OrganizationsResourceConservationDistricts(RCDs)aretypicallyorganizedattheCountylevel.RCDsworkcloselywithprivatelandownerstoimplementgovernment-fundedlandmanagementprojectsonprivatepropertywiththedirectassistanceoftheNaturalResourcesConservationService.Watershedgroupsareorganizedaroundwatershedboundariesandareoftenthesponsorofriparianrestorationprojects.AnexampleistheSacramentoRiverConservationAreaForum(SRCAF).

G. Endangered Species Act (ESA) ConsiderationsIfarestorationprojectwillpotentiallyaffectalistedendangeredorthreatenedspecies,thenaconsultationwiththeEndangeredSpeciesOfficeoftheU.S.FishandWildlifeServicewillberequired.Therestorationprojectmustnotnegativelyaffectalistedspecies,evenifatthecompletionoftheprojectthespecieswillbenefit.Iftherestorationprojectshouldattractlistedspeciesthatpreviouslywerenotpresentonthesite,thenfutureliabilitiesundertheESAcanbemanagedbyaUSFWSSafeHarboragreement.

ThereareseveralexamplesofprivatelandownersandwaterservicesthathaveSafeHarborAgreementsthatallowfornormalmanagementactivitiesaroundlistedspecies.

H. Adjacent and Nearby Land Use 1. Agriculture

Ifarestorationprojectsiteisadjacenttoagriculturalland,thereareseveralconsiderationsthatwillhavetobediscussedwiththelandmanagersandowners.Manyfarmersworrythatarestorationprojectwillhavedirectnegativeimpactstotheircrops,forexamplebyincreasingthepopulationsofpestspeciessuchaspheasants,deer,groundsquirrels,volesandrats.Thesefearscansometimesleadtodrasticmeasures,suchastheremovalofadjacentriparianvegetationtospinachfarmsinSalinasValleyfortheunlikelyassumptionthatwildlife(asopposedtocattle)wereresponsibleforinfectingthecropwithE.colibacteria(formoreinformationseetheWildlandFarmAlliance).Insectpeststhatoverwinterinrestorationsitesareacommonworry,butjustasmanybeneficialinsectpredatorssuchaspreyingmantisandparasitoidsthatkillharmfulinsectsoverwinterinrestorationsites.Pollinatorslikenativebeesmayalsospreadfromrestorationsitestofarms.Riparianvegetationcanreducetheimpactsoffloodingbyslowingflowsandtrappinglargedebris.Riparianareascanalsocleanwaterbyfilteringandtrappingnutrientsandpesticides.Restorationistsshouldalsobeawarethatadjacentlandusecannegativelyimpacttheproject,forexample,livestockgrazerscouldgetontothesite.Onemeasuretoreduceinteractionbetweentherestorationprojectandadjacentlanduseistocreatesetbackzonesorbuffersbetweenthetwoareas.

Onecommonconcernrestoringlandspreviouslyusedforagricultureorrangelands,isthattherestorationsitestakelandoutofproductionresultinginanetlossofeconomicvaluetothecommunity.Often,these

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sitesarepurchasedbecausetheyarenotproductivelandsinthefirstplace,becausetheyarepronetoflooding.Furthermore,theimpactsriparianareasprovidetoacommunitydonothaveaquantitativevalue.

2. Urbanization Restoration projects adjacent to urban areas must also consider the impacts of one land cover type ontheother.Forexample,dependingonthecountyrequirements,mosquitoabatementmayberequiredasa component of the restoration project.The restorationist should contact the local mosquito abatementprogramforspecificdetails.Attheplanningstage,theurbansettingoftheprojectsitewillalsoneedtobeevaluated.Iftherearelightsadjacenttothesitethatwillremainonallnightanddisruptwildlife,perhapsadenserowoftallnativetreescouldhelplessentheimpact.Restorationprojectsadjacenttourbanareaswilllikelyhavetodealwithferalanimals,especiallydogsandcats,thatcanharassandkillwildlife.Often,residentsencourageferalanimalpopulationsbyleavingfoodoutatnight,eitherdeliberatelyoraccidently.Petanimalscanbeequallydisruptive.Activeengagementandeducationofneighborstorestorationprojectsmayhelpreducetheseactivities.Finally,therewillbespecificzoninglawsandlandusechangesrestrictionswithinthecountythatshouldbecompliedwithduringprojectplanning.

I. Different Definitions of Restoration in Labor Laws Differingmanagementapproachesto,anddefinitionsofRiparianHabitatRestorationbyagencymanagerscanbeconstraintsthataffectrestorationprojectimplementationintermsoflaborcodes.Therearenumerousinconsistenciesinthewaythatriparianhabitatrestorationisdefinedbyvariousagenciesbecauseoftherecognition,orlackthereof,ofrestorationasauniqueprojectactivity.Therefore,differentlaborcodesmayapplydependingontheclassificationgiventorestorationbygrantingagencies,whichcouldbeRestoration,Landscaping,Construction,orAgriculture.

1. Worker’s CompensationUnderworkerscompensationlawdefinitions,thereisnocategorycalledrestoration.RestorationworkisclassifiedasLandscaping.Therefore,inordertoinstallarestorationprojectthatisdefinedasLandscaping,astate-issuedLandscapeContractor’slicensemustbeheldbytherestorationist.

2. Prevailing Wage RequirementsRestorationprojectsfundedthroughFederalgrantsorincontractwiththeUnitedStatesthatexceed$2,000arerequiredtopayworkersatthesitenolessthantheprevailingwagesoftheprojectlocality(Davis-BaconAct and McNamara-O’Hara Service ContractAct). Prevailing wage requirements are dependent uponseveralfactors,whichincludethefundingsource,projectlocationandtypeofwork.Thegrantagreementorcontractwillhavespecificlanguagethatstateswhetherprevailingwagesarerequired.Thedesignationof the typeofwork that is beingdone is significant.Restorationmaybedefined as either landscapingorconstruction,dependingonthescopeofworkfortherestorationproject.Typically,aclassificationofconstructionwillrequireprevailingwages.Todeterminewhichclassificationtherestorationprojectfallsunder,contacttheDepartmentofIndustrialRelations.

3. Agricultural Labor LawRestoration projects often are installed using conventional, large-scale agricultural technology andequipment.Agriculturallaborlaws,whichtypicallyimpactagriculturaloperations(e.g.,60hourworkweek,insteadof40hours),arenotafactorinriparianhabitatrestoration.Theselaborlawsapplytooperationsthat

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produceamarketablecommodity.Restorationisnotdefinedashavingamarketablecommodity.Therefore,theselaborlawsdonotapply.

4. U.S. Department of AgricultureTheNaturalResourcesConservationService,anagencyoftheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,providestechnicalassistanceandfundingtosupportlandownersinprotectingandconservingtheirsoil,water,andothernaturalresources.Restorationisdefinedasanagriculturalpracticeinthiscaseandnotlandscapingorconstruction.Because thenatureof theirprogram iscollaborationwith landowners,usually farmers,restorationprojectsarecategorizedasagriculture,inwhichagriculturallaborlawsthenapply.

5. California Department of Pesticide RegulationMost herbicides do not include riparian species on the labels.The Department of Pesticide Regulationrecognizestheuseofherbicidesonrestorationprojectsasnon-agriculturaluses.

6. Wildlife Conservation Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and California Department of Fish and Game

Fundingagencies,suchasWildlifeConservationBoard,andstateandfederalagencies,suchastheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceandCaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame,definetheseprojectsasrestoration.Unlike other agencies, restoration work is not classified as agricultural, landscaping or constructionactivities.

7. County AgenciesThe County Agricultural Commissioner and the County Air Quality Control identifies restoration asagriculturalactivities.

8. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)OSHAregulationsandrequirementsshouldbereviewedduringtheplanningprocess.Theyregulatethedepthofunreinforcedexcavations(soil testpits)plus theymandaterequirementsforworkerhealthandsafety.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

Buildingarestorationbudgetforaprojectthathasnotyetbeenproposedisachallengingaffair.However,potentialfunderswillrequireareasonablelevelofdetailwhenaproposalissubmitted.

Obviously,morethanonebidperproductorserviceshouldbesolicited.Whenestimatingabudgetforaproposal,beawarethatmanyyearsmaypassbeforefundingarrivesforyourrestorationproject.Costswillbedifferent,typicallyincreasingwithtime.Yetthefunderwillmostlikelyrequirethattheoriginalbudget,aspresentedintheproposal,befollowed.Acontingencylineitemisalwaysagoodidea.Tenpercentismostoftenused.Beawareofthebillingrequirementsofthefunder,aswellasitspaymentschedule.Paymentsaretypicallyaftertheworktobebilledhasbeenaccomplishedandmaybeseveralmonthsafteryousubmityourinvoice.Some funders may require retention, usually 10 percent, be withheld until completion of theproject.Fundersmayrequiresubstantialsupportbeincludedinbillings.Thismayrequiremoretimeandattentionbytheprojectadministrator.Somefundersmaynotcoverallexpenditures.RefertoOMBA-122(CircularNo.A-122issuedbytheUSOfficeofManagementandBudget)forallowablecosts.Beawareofyourownorganization’sadministrativecostsoverthelifeofacontract.Donotshort-changeyourself.Beawareofwhatthefunderwillpayforprojectadministration.Thepercentagemaybelimitedandlessthanyouractualcosts.Beawareofanyadditionalcostsrequiredbyafundersuchasthecostofaneasementontheprojectsite,oramanagementendowmenttocoverlong-termmanagementcosts.

••

••

•

•

•

•

•

•

X. How to Build a Budget

Program Name Description Incentive

WildlifeHabitatIncentiveProgram(WHIP)http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/

Voluntaryprogramforpeoplewhowanttodevelopandimprovewildlifehabitatprimarilyonprivateland.

Upto75%costsharefor5to10years

ConservationReserveProgram(CRP)http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CRP/

Assistancetofarmersandranchersregardingsoil,waterandnaturalresourcesconcernsandcompliancewithFederal,Stateandtriballaws.

Financialandtechnicalassistance

EnvironmentalQualityIncentivesProgram(EQIP)http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/PROGRAMS/EQIP/

Voluntaryconservationprogramforfarmersandrancherstoimplementstructuralandmanagementpracticestoimproveenvironmentalquality.

Financialandtechnicalassistance,1to10yearsandupto75%costshare

CaliforniaWetlandsReserveProgramhttp://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/states/ca.html

Farmerscanselleasementoflandsforconversiontowetlandsandriparianhabitat,andmayalsobenefitfromsaleofhuntingrights.

Financialandtechnicalassistance

Table 1: Federal Cost Share Programs for Habitat Development

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

Therearemanydifferentwaysofinstallingarestorationplanting.Theexactmethodswillbedeterminedinpartbysitehistory.Ifthesitehasbeenfarmedinthepast,itmayhaveanirrigationsysteminplace.Thesitemayhaveanuniquesuiteofweedspeciesduetopastlanduses.Ifthesitewasonceinfarming,whywasitsoldforrestoration?Theanswerwillusuallybeduetoeconomicreasons–thesitedoesnotproduceaneconomicallyviablecommodity,duetopoorsoils,poorwaterquality,highwatertable,expenseofclean-upafterfloods.Thisknowledgewillallowtherestorationplannertoadjusttheplantoaccommodatethesesite-specificcharacteristics.Table2listsvariousfieldmethodsthatcanbeusedtoaccomplishimplementationtasksandcomparestheiradvantagesanddisadvantages.

What Can Go Wrong - Why Projects FailImplementation of a restoration plan into the field requires a special skill set that few people possess.Plannersandmostbiologistsarenotimplementers.Onlysomeonewithmanyyearsoffarmingexperiencepossessesthejudgment,knowledge,andskilltomaketimelydecisionsthatresultinahealthy,weed-freerestorationplanting.

Restorationprojectstypicallyfailduetoproblemsthatariseduringthefirstyearofimplementation.Manyproblems can be avoided through considerable planning and preparation. Skilled personnel and goodcommunicationamongworkers,alongwithfamiliaritywiththesitewillimprovethechancesofsuccess.Frequently,projectsfailbecauseofinexperienceoralackofpreparationforthefollowingconsiderations:

Scale: afive-acreprojectwillbemanagedverydifferentlyfroma100acreproject.Methodsforweedcontrolandirrigationarecompletelydifferent–requiringdifferenttools–ifthegoalistoproduceahealthy,successfulproject.ThemanagermustThinkDifferently,accordingtothescaleoftheproject.Weed control: Weedsoftenwinbyoverwhelming(burying)nativeplants,causingthemtodieorgrowmuchmoreslowly.Thisisacommonproblemthatinexperiencedmanagersusuallysufferbecause they do not understand weed ecology and the life history characteristics of individualweedspecies.Controlmeasuresare typicallyappliedtoolate in theplant’sdevelopment.Largecosts,includingplantmortality,andsignificanttimearerequiredtoremovethelargeweedsfromthefield.Planting day unpredictability: Many things can go wrong, even with careful planning. Theweathercanbehotwithadrywindblowingatplanting.Theirrigationpumpbreaksdown,resultinginnowaterfornewplants.Thenurserydeliverssmallplantsonedayearly,meaningnoirrigationuntilinstalled.Thenurserydeliverstheplantsonedaylate,meaningtheplantingcrewhasnothingtodo.Irrigation system failure due to delivery problems,e.g.,pumpbreaksdownandcannotberepairedforseveraldaysduringhotweather;waterlinesbreak(andhead-ditchfailure)compromisingentiresystem;riverleveldropsoutfromunderthepumpintake,resultinginnowater.Failureduetowaterqualityissuesusuallyinvolvetheconcentrationofsaltsintheirrigationwaterwhicheitherkillsplantsorslowstheirgrowth.

•

•

•

•

XI. Technical Methods of Project Implementation

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

Rodents: beavers (Castor canadensis), meadow mice (Microtus sp.), gophers (Thomomys sp.),groundsquirrels(Spermophilus beecheyi).Allrodentspeciesarecapableofeatinganddestroyingayoungrestorationplanting.Site conditions are not as described in plan/construction drawings,ortheconstructiondrawingcannotbeinstalledasdrawn.Thisisespeciallydemoralizingtotheimplementer.Planner and Implementer work for different companies,meaningthattheimplementerhadnoinputintotheplan.Implementer not a farmer.Knowshowtomanagegolf-coursesandlawns.

•

•

•

•

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

TAB

LE2

.R

ESTO

RAT

ION

FIE

LDM

ETH

OD

SSU

MM

ARY

ME

TH

OD

SA

DVA

NTA

GE

SD

ISA

DVA

NTA

GE

S

I. FI

EL

D

PRE

PAR

ATIO

NProperfieldpreparationwilleaseplantingandhastenplantestablishm

ent.Fieldpreparationmethodslisted

may

be

used

inc

ombi

natio

n.S

eeA

lso

Wee

dC

ontro

l.

•D

isci

ngGoodforlargeorsmall-scalefieldclearing.

Turn

swee

dsin

toso

ilke

epin

gai

sles

cle

ar.

Con

serv

esso

ilm

oist

ure.

Seed

ban

kis

turn

edo

vere

xpos

ing

seed

sto

light

and

w

ater

,see

dsg

erm

inat

ew

ithra

ino

rirr

igat

ion.

Fie

ld

mus

tbe

clea

red

ofa

llla

rge

debr

isto

pro

perly

ope

rate

di

sc.

•B

urni

ngGoodforlarge-orsmall-scalefieldclearing.

Rem

ovesweedsanddebrisfrom

field.

Bur

npe

rmits

are

requ

ired,

not

allo

wed

ata

llsi

tes.

M

ustb

eca

refu

llyp

lann

eda

ndti

med

forb

estb

urn.

Ex

perie

nced

per

sonn

elre

quire

d.W

on’t

supp

ress

pe

renn

ialw

eeds

,suc

has

John

son

gras

s.

•La

nd

Leve

ling

Requiredforfl

oodirrigationsystem

sandfor

impr

oved

ope

ratio

nof

equ

ipm

ent.

Additionalcostswithtemporarybenefits.

II. P

LA

NT

ING

Indi

vidu

alsp

ecie

smay

be

plan

ted

usin

gdi

ffere

ntm

etho

dsfo

rthe

opt

imum

est

ablis

hmen

tand

cos

tsav

ings

.U

sing

nur

sery

gro

wn

cont

aine

rsto

ckis

the

conv

entio

nalh

ortic

ultu

ralm

etho

d.

•R

ippi

ngR

ipsa

ndfr

actu

resp

lant

ing

row

to3

feet

dee

p.

Allo

wse

asie

rpla

ntin

gan

dim

prov

edro

ot

deve

lopm

ent.

Can

’tbe

don

eon

site

with

exi

stin

gtre

est

umps

and

irr

igat

ion

syst

ems.

Cre

ates

air

spac

esin

soil.

Firm

ly

tam

pso

ilw

hen

plan

ting.

•A

ugur

ing

Mixesstratifiedso

illayerstoeightfeetdeep.

Impr

oves

root

dev

elop

men

t,es

peci

ally

with

do

rman

tcut

tings

.

Addstofieldpreparationtim

eandcosts.Limited

benefitinso

ilswithsand,largegravel,cobbles,ordeep

wat

erta

ble.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

ME

TH

OD

SA

DVA

NTA

GE

SD

ISA

DVA

NTA

GE

S

•D

irect

See

dH

ighl

ysu

cces

sful

met

hod

foro

aks(

acor

ns)a

ndg

ood

succ

essw

ithro

se.

Cos

tsav

ings

with

outp

ropa

gatio

nco

sts.

Sho

rtte

rmp

lann

ing

time

requ

ired

with

mos

tse

edsc

olle

cted

infa

llan

dpl

ante

din

win

ter.

Lim

ited

succ

essf

orso

me

ripar

ian

spec

iesi

nex

perim

ents

.Seedsw

ashedaw

ayorburiedonflood-pronesites.

Seed

lings

will

not

com

pete

with

fast

-gro

win

gex

otic

wee

ds

insp

ring

and

sum

mer

.

•N

urse

ry

Gro

wn

Con

tain

er

Stoc

k

Hig

hly

succ

essf

ulc

onve

ntio

nalm

etho

dfo

rall

spec

ies.

C

anb

epl

ante

dfr

omfa

llto

late

sprin

g.E

stab

lishe

dse

edlin

gsw

ithd

evel

oped

root

syst

ems.

Incr

ease

dco

stsw

ithle

ngth

ypr

opag

atio

npr

oces

sfro

m

seedstratificationtohardening-off.A

pproximately

twel

veto

eig

htee

nm

onth

snee

ded.

Req

uire

spla

nnin

gan

des

timat

ing

two

year

sin

adva

nce.

•D

orm

ant

Har

dwoo

dC

uttin

gs

Hig

hly

succ

essf

ulm

etho

dfo

rFre

mon

tcot

tonw

ood

and

will

owsp

ecie

s.E

asily

col

lect

ed,s

tore

d,a

nd

plan

ted

fors

mal

l-an

dla

rge-

scal

esi

tes.

Winterrainsandfloodswilllimitaccesstocollection

site

sdur

ing

criti

calc

olle

ctio

ntim

e.H

igh

mor

talit

yin

dr

yw

inte

rsa

ndsp

rings

ifir

rigat

ion

can’

tbe

appl

ied.

R

efrig

erat

edst

orag

ere

quire

dif

can’

tbe

plan

ted

imm

edia

tely

.

III.

WE

ED

C

ON

TR

OL

Thoroughweedcontrolisn

eededinfieldpreparationandthefirstyearafterplanting.Inthesecondandthirdyear

afte

rpla

ntin

g,w

eed

cont

rolc

anb

ere

duce

d.T

heli

sted

wee

dco

ntro

lmet

hods

can

be

used

inc

ombi

natio

n.

•D

isci

ngTu

rnsw

eeds

into

the

soil.

Low

equ

ipm

entc

osts

and

in

vest

men

t.R

emov

esro

dent

cov

er.

Con

serv

esso

ilm

oist

ure.

Mus

tbe

repe

ated

seve

ralt

imes

dur

ing

the

seas

onb

ecau

se

new

lye

xpos

edw

eed

seed

swill

ger

min

ate

with

nex

tirr

igat

ion

orra

in.

•H

erbi

cide

sEf

fect

ive

clea

ring

ofa

isle

s,ro

wsa

ndir

rigat

ion

mai

nlin

es.

Spot

app

licat

ions

ati

ndiv

idua

lpla

nt

loca

tions

.A

pply

atc

ritic

alti

mes

toli

mit

seas

onal

ex

otic

spec

ies.

Cos

tlyfo

rlar

ge-s

cale

and

repe

ated

app

licat

ion.

R

estri

ctio

nso

nus

e.C

aref

ulu

sere

quire

dto

redu

ce

haza

rds.

Lim

ited

byw

eath

erc

ondi

tions

such

as

tem

pera

ture

and

win

d.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

ME

TH

OD

SA

DVA

NTA

GE

SD

ISA

DVA

NTA

GE

S

•M

ulch

ing

Ath

ick,

org

anic

mul

chw

illsu

ppre

ssw

eed

seed

ger

min

atio

n.R

eple

nish

esso

ilor

gani

cm

atte

r.C

onse

rves

soil

moi

stur

e.

Highcostwithlaborandmaterials.Diffi

culttoapplyonlarge-

scalesites.Decom

poses,short-termbenefit.M

ulchfloatsaway

ifsiteisflooded.

•La

ndsc

ape

Fabr

ic/W

eed

Mat

s

Supp

ress

esg

erm

inat

ion

ofw

eed

seed

s.H

igh

cost

swith

inte

nsiv

ela

bora

ndm

ater

ialc

osts

,esp

ecia

lly

inla

rge-

scal

eap

plic

atio

ns.

A3

’x3’

squa

reis

requ

ired

fore

ach

plan

ting

loca

tion.

Pap

erfa

bric

ssup

pres

swee

dsfo

ronl

yon

eye

ar.

Synt

hetic

fabr

icla

stsm

any

year

sand

may

nee

dto

be

rem

oved

.

•C

over

Cro

psR

eple

nish

esso

ilnu

trien

ts.

Succ

essf

ulw

eed

supp

ress

ion

whe

nm

anag

ed.

Hig

hco

stsf

ora

shor

t-ter

ma

pplic

atio

n(o

neto

thre

eye

ars)

.C

onve

ntio

nalc

over

cro

pse

edm

ixtu

resa

ren

otd

esig

ned

for

rest

orat

ion

appl

icat

ions

and

con

tain

prim

arily

exo

ticsp

ecie

s.

•M

owin

g/Fl

ail

type

Efficientinlarge-scaleapplications.Keeps

aisl

esc

lear

ofw

eeds

.A

llow

slig

htto

reac

hsa

plin

gs.

Inex

pens

ive

appl

icat

ion

cost

s.

Can

’tbe

use

don

row

sori

ndiv

idua

lpla

ntin

glo

catio

ns.

Fiel

dm

ustb

ela

ido

utto

acc

omm

odat

eeq

uipm

ent.

Equ

ipm

ent

requ

iresw

ell-t

rain

edo

pera

tors

,bec

ause

mow

erm

ayh

arm

irr

igat

ion

lines

orp

lant

s.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page �9

ME

TH

OD

SA

DVA

NTA

GE

SD

ISA

DVA

NTA

GE

S

IV.

IRR

IGAT

ION

Fact

orss

uch

asw

ater

qua

lity,

soil

cond

ition

s,an

dex

istin

geq

uipm

entw

illd

eter

min

eirr

igat

ion

syst

emd

esig

n.T

he

met

hods

list

edb

elow

hav

ebe

enu

sed

succ

essf

ully

toe

stab

lish

rest

orat

ion

site

s.E

ach

syst

emw

illre

quire

regu

lar

mai

nten

ance

dur

ing

the

irrig

atio

nse

ason

.Fi

rsty

eari

rrig

atio

nsh

ould

be

appl

ied

top

ush

max

imum

gro

wth

.In

the

seco

nd

andthirdyearirrigationssh

ouldbelessfrequentandlongertoencouragedeeprootdevelopmentandfinallyadjusttosite

cond

ition

s.

•D

ripAhighlyefficientsy

stem

,especiallyinsm

allapplications.

Low

fuel

orp

ower

cos

tsfo

rpum

ping

.D

eep

and

thor

ough

at

indi

vidu

alp

lant

ing

loca

tions

.In

divi

dual

em

itter

swat

er

asm

alla

rea.

Lim

ited

wee

dgr

owth

ina

isle

,whe

ren

oirr

igat

ion

isa

pplie

d.

Ah

igh-

mai

nten

ance

syst

emth

atre

quire

sthe

cos

tof

equi

pmen

ttha

tusu

ally

can

notb

ere

used

,i.e

.,dr

ipli

nes.

M

ustm

aint

ain

indi

vidu

ale

mitt

ersw

ithso

me

syst

ems.

Diffi

culttoremoveandreuseequipm

ent.Rodentschew

lines

.C

onsi

dera

ble

dam

age

and

repa

irsto

syst

emso

nflood-pronesites,sinceitcannotberemovedattheendof

seas

on.

•Sp

rinkl

er

Solid

Set

Am

oder

atel

yad

apta

ble

syst

emth

atw

illa

pply

larg

eam

ount

sofw

ater

.C

anb

ein

stal

led

onu

neve

nsi

tes.

Cov

ers

row

sand

ais

lest

oen

cour

age

late

ralr

ootg

row

th.

Hig

heq

uipm

entc

osts

toin

stal

lper

man

ents

yste

mw

ith

burie

dla

tera

lsa

ndm

ainl

ine.

Can

notb

ere

used

.D

amag

etorisersfrom

floatingdebrisonflood-pronesites.High

pow

erc

osts

forp

umpi

ng.

Abu

ndan

twee

dgr

owth

.

•Sp

rinkl

er

Han

dlin

eA

hig

hly

adap

tabl

esy

stem

with

mov

able

mai

nlin

es,l

ater

als,

and

sprin

kler

s.G

ood

insm

allt

ola

rge-

scal

eap

plic

atio

ns.

Equi

pmen

tcan

be

mov

eda

cros

ssite

and

reus

edo

not

her

site

s.C

over

spla

ntin

gro

wsa

nda

isle

sto

enco

urag

ela

tera

lro

otd

evel

opm

ent.

Can

be

parti

ally

rem

oved

infa

llfr

om

flood-pronesitesandreassembledinsp

ring

Hig

hen

ergy

cos

ts.

Abu

ndan

twee

dgr

owth

acr

osss

ite.

Add

ition

alla

borc

osts

tom

ove

syst

ema

cros

ssite

.

•Fl

ood

Dee

pan

dth

orou

ghir

rigat

ion.

Low

equ

ipm

entc

osts

.Si

tem

ustb

een

gine

ered

,lev

eled

,orc

onto

ured

to

acco

mm

odat

e.A

bund

antw

eed

grow

th.

Furr

owsm

ustb

ere

-est

ablis

hed

afte

reac

hirr

igat

ion.

•W

ater

Tan

kD

irect

pla

cem

enta

ndq

uant

ityo

fwat

erd

eter

min

edb

yop

erat

or.

Mostinefficientm

ethodduetohighcostsforlaborand

timerequired.U

suallycannotirrigatelargefieldina

timel

ym

anne

r.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page �0

ME

TH

OD

SA

DVA

NTA

GE

SD

ISA

DVA

NTA

GE

S

V. P

LA

NT

PRO

TE

CTO

RS

Criticaltoprotectindividualplantsfromrodentdam

ageandherbicidedriftfirsttwoyears.Shouldbeinstalled

inlatesp

ringonflood-pronesites.

•B

lue-

X/T

ube-

XR

etai

nhe

ata

ndh

umid

ityto

enc

oura

gen

ewg

row

th

ine

arly

sprin

g.P

rote

ctfr

omro

dent

and

her

bici

de

dam

age.

Gra

dual

lyb

reak

dow

nov

erse

vera

lyea

rs.

Varie

tyo

fsiz

esa

vaila

ble.

Mor

eex

pens

ive

foro

ne-t

otw

o-ye

aru

se.

Can

notb

ere

used

and

may

nee

dto

be

rem

oved

from

site

afte

rthirdorfourthyear.Weedsinsideprotectordiffi

cultto

rem

ove.

•C

ardb

oard

(milk

ca

rtons

)Pr

otec

tfro

mro

dent

and

her

bici

ded

amag

e.

Inex

pens

ive.

Bre

akdo

wn

afte

rone

seas

onw

ithre

duce

dpr

otec

tion

in

seco

ndy

ear.

Mou

sen

ests

ina

few.

Sha

dess

eedl

ings

duringcriticalfirstm

onths.

•W

irec

ages

mad

eoffield-fenceor

chic

ken-

wire

.

Effe

ctiv

epr

otec

tion

from

her

bivo

ryb

yro

dent

sand

de

er;r

euse

able

.M

ater

iala

ndc

onst

ruct

ion

cost

s;m

ustb

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ecificskills.

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.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 51

APEC (Asia Pacific Environmental Exchange) 2005. Ecosystem services enhanced by salmon habitat conservation in the Green/Puwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed. Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Water and Land Resources Division, Seattle, Washington.

Beck, George K., Kenneth Zimmerman, Jeffrey D. Schardt, Jeffrey Stone, Ronald R. Lukens, Sarah Reichard, John Randall, Allegra A. Cangelosi, Diane Cooper, and John Peter Thompson. 2006. Invasive species defined in a policy context: recommendations from the Federal Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1614/IPSM-08-089.1

Bellemore, Jesse, Glenn Motckin and David R. Foster. 2003. Legacies of the agricultural past in the forested present: an assessment of historical landuse effects on rich mesic forests. Journal of Biogeography 29(10-11) 1401-1420.

Block, William M., Alan B. Franklin, James P. Ward, Jr., Joseph L. Gary, and Gary C. White. 2001. Implementation of monitoring studies to evaluate the success of ecological restoration on wildlife. Restoration Ecology 9(3) 293-303. Last accessed February 2009. https://library.eri.nau.edu:8443/bitstream/2019/390/1/BlockEtal.2001.DesignAndImplementationOfMonitoring.pdf

California Environmental Protection Agency, 2009. State Water Resources Control Board laws and regulations page. http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/laws_regulations/\

California Farm Bureau Federation. October 2008. Farmers work to encourage native bee habitat. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1147&ck=A1D50185E7426CBB0ACAD1E6CA74B9AA

California Office of Historic Preservation. California Historical Resources Information System. Last accessed February 2009. http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1068/files/IC%20Roster.pdf

CalPIF (California Partners in Flight) 2008. Bringing the Birds Back: A Guide to Habitat Enhancment for Birds in the Sacramento Valley (R. DiGaudio, K. Kreitinger and T. Gardali, lead authors). California Partners in Flight Regional Conservation Plan No. 2. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.prbo.org/calpif.

California Invasive Plant Council. Invasive Plants. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/index.php

XII. References & Links Cited

Glossery of Terms Used in Riparian Ecology:http://water.nv.gov/WaterPlanning/dict-1/ww-index.cfm.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 52

California Native Plant Society. December 2001. Guidelines for landscaping to protect native vegetation from degradation. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.cnps.org/archives/landscaping.htm

CDA (Canadian Dam Association) 2008. Frequently Asked Questions. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.cda.ca/cda_new_en/interesting%20links/faq/faq.html#q4

CDFG (California Department of Fish and Game) California Salmonid Stream Habitat Restoration Manual (section VI). 1998. Last accessed February

2009. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Resources/HabitatManual.asp California Wildlife Habitat Relationships. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/

biogeodata/cwhr/ Lake and Streambed Alterations Program. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/

habcon/1600/

CDWR (California Department of Water Resources) 2009. a. California Data Exchange Center. Last accessed February 2009. http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/

mapper b. Encroachment Permits. Last accessed February 2009. http://wwwdoe.water.ca.gov/Services/Real_

Estate/Encroach_Rel/ c. Groundwater Conjunctive Use. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.fao.org/docrep/v5400e/

v5400e0c.htm d. Watersheds. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.watershedrestoration.water.ca.gov/

watersheds/

CRAM (California Rapid Assessment Method) Homepage. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.cramwetlands.org/

Cederborg, Michelle. 2003. Hydrologic requirements for seedling establishment of riparian cottonwoods (Populus fremontii) along the Sacramento River. MS Thesis California State University, Chico.

Cooper, David J., David M. Merritt, Douglas C. Andersen, and Rodney A. Chimner. 1999. Factors controlling the establishment of Fremont Cottonwood seedlings on the Upper Green River, USA. Regulated Rivers: Research and Management. 15:419-440. Last accessed February 2009. http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/chimner/Regulatedrivers1999.pdf

Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc. October 2001. Why riparian setbacks? Last accessed February 2009. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/shoreland/wrs_buffers.pdf

CNDDB. 2006. California Natural Diversity Database, Available at: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/cnddb.html. . California Dept. of Fish and Game, Biogeographic Data Branch, California Natural Diversity Database, Contacts: D. McGriff, D. Warenycia and L. Holmes. 1807 13th St, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95814. phone: 916-322-7307.

Crater Lake Institute. Klamath network water quality repor (Phase II)t. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/online-library/klamath-network-water-quality/sec3rnsp.htm

Feyrer, F., T.R Sommer, S.C. Zeug, G. O’Leary, and W. Harrell. 2004. Fish assemblages of perennial floodplain ponds of the Sacramento River, California (USA), with implications for the conservation of natives fishes. Fisheries Management and Ecology 11:335-344. HYPERLINK “http://iep.water.ca.gov/AES/Feyrer_2004_FME.pdf” pdf

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 53

FISRWG (10/1998). Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices. By the Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group (FISRWG)(15 Federal agencies of the US gov’t). GPO Item No. 0120-A; SuDocs No. A 57.6/2:EN 3/PT.653. ISBN-0-934213-59-3. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/stream_restoration/

Gardali, T., A. Holmes, S. Small, N. Nur, G. Geupel, and G. Golet. 2006. Abundance Patterns of Landbirds in restored and Remnant Riparian Forests on the Sacramento River, California, U.S.A. Restoration Ecology 14: 391-403

Golet, Gregory H.; Thomas Gardali; Christine A. Howell; John Hunt; Ryan A. Luster; William Rainey; Michael D. Roberts; Joseph Silveira; Helen Swagerty; and Neal Williams. 2008. Wildlife Response to Riparian Restoration on the Sacramento River. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science. Vol. 6, Issue 2 (June), Article 1. http://www.sacramentoriver.org/SRCAF/publications/Golet%20Compresed-2008.pdf

Gregory, Stanley V., Frederick J. Swanson, W. Arthur McKee, Kenneth W. Cummins. 1991. An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones. Bioscience 41(8) 540-551. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.humboldt.edu/~storage/pdfmill/Batch%202/riparian.pdf

Katibah, E. F. 1984. A brief history of riparian forests in the Central Valley of California. In R. E. Warner and K. M. Hendrix (eds). California Riparian Systems: Ecology, Conservation, and Productive Management. University of California Press, California. Pages 23-29.

Kelley, Robert Lloyd, 1989 Battling the inland sea : American political culture, public policy, and the Sacramento Valley, 1850-1986 University of California Press, Berkeley.

Mahoney, J. M., and S. B. Rood. 1998. Streamflow requirements for cottonwood seedling recruitment: an integrative model. Wetlands 18:634–645.

Moyle PB, Baxter RD, Sommer T, Foin TC, Matern SA. 2004. Biology and population dynamics of Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) in the San Francisco Estuary: a review. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science [online serial].

Vol. 2, Issue 2 (May 2004), Article 3. Last accessed February 2009. http://repositories.cdlib.org/jmie/sfews/vol2/iss2/art3

Moyle, Peter B., Joshua A. Israel, and Sabra E. Purdy. 2008. Salmon, steelhead and trout in California: Status of an emblematic fauna. California Trout, Inc. Available online at: http://www.caltrout.org/article.asp?id=359&bc=1

NRC (National Research Council) 2002. Riparian Areas: Functions and Strategies for Management. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.

NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) Stream Restoration Design National Engineering Handbook, Part 654, August 2007. Last accessed

February 2009. http://policy.nrcs.usda.gov/viewerFS.aspx?hid=21433 Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/

whip/ Conservation Reserve Program. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/

CRP/

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California Wetlands Reserve Program. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/states/ca.html

Web Soil Surveys. Last accessed February 2009. http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm

Opperman, Jeff J. and A M. Merenlender, 2004. The effectiveness of riparian restoration for improving instream fish habitat in four hardwood-dominated California streams.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 24 (3), pp. 822-834. Postprint available free at: http://repositories.cdlib.org/postprints/259

RHJV (Riparian Habitat Joint Venture). 2004. The riparian bird conservation plan: a strategy for reversing the decline of riparian associated birds in California. California Partners in Flight. Last accessed February 2009 http://www.prbo.org/calpif/pdfs/riparian_v-2.pdf

Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum. Welcome to Sacramento River.org. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.sacramentoriver.org/

Schemel, L.E., T.R. Sommer, A.B. Muller-Solger, and W.C. Harrell. 2004. Hydrologic variability, water chemistry, and phytoplankton biomass in a large floodplain of the Sacramento River, CA, USA. Hydrobiologia 513:129-139. HYPERLINK “http://iep.water.ca.gov/AES/2004_Schemel%20et%20al_Hydrobio.pdf” pdf

SFU (Simon Frasier University). Chapter 24: Water wars: lessons from the California campaign by Michael Healey. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/resources/water/pdf/Water-Ch24.pdf

Society for Ecological Restoration. November 2001. An introduction to restoration genetics. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.ser.org/pdf/SER_restoration_genetics.pdf

Sommer, T. R., M. L. Nobriga, W. C. Harrell, W. Batham, and W. J. Kimmerer. 2001. Floodplain rearing of juvenile Chinook salmon: Evidence of enhanced growth and survival. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58(2):325-333. HYPERLINK “http://iep.water.ca.gov/AES/Sommer_et_al_2001.pdf” pdf

State Water Resources Control Board. Restoration of a reach of the San Diego River in the unincorporated community of lakeside, San Diego

County, CA. Last accessed February 2009. http://swrcb2.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/nps/docs/success/r9_lakeside.pdf Dredge/Fill (401) and Wetlands Program. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.waterboards.

ca.gov/water_issues/programs/cwa401/ Water Rights. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.waterrights.ca.gov/ Strahan, J. 1984. Regeneration of riparian forests of the Central Valley, In R. E. Warner and K. M. Hendrix

(eds). California Riparian Systems: Ecology, Conservation, and Productive Management. University of California Press, California. Pages 58-67. Last accessed February 2009. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft1c6003wp/

Swanson, Sherman. 1988. Using stream classification to prioritize riparian rehabilitation after extreme events. Presented at the California Riparian Systems Conference; September 22-24; Davis, California. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr110/psw_gtr110_c_swanson.pdf

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page 55

Trowbridge, W., S. Kalmanovitz, and M. Schwartz, 2004. Growth of Valley Oak (Quercus lobata Nee) in four floodplain environments in the Central Valley of California. Plant Ecology 176:157-164.

University of California at Davis. California Watershed Assessment Manual (Volumes I and II). Last accessed February 2009. http://cwam.ucdavis.edu/

University of California at Davis Genetic Resource Conservation Program. “Why do we care about genetics.” A downloadable series of 12 factsheets. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.grcp.ucdavis.edu/projects/FactSheetdex.htm

University of California at Davis Information Center for the Environment. California Rivers Assessment Interactive Web Database. Last accessed February 2009. http://cwam.ucdavis.edu/

University of California Cooperative Extension at UC Davis. 2009. California Fish Website. Last accessed February 2009. http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/index.cfm Weed Research and Information Center. Last accessed February 2009. http://wric.ucdavis.edu/

US Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters. Regulatory (Wetlands). Last accessed February 2009. http://www.usace.army.mil/CECW/Pages/cecwo_reg.aspx

USDA Forest Service. Genetically appropriate materials to maintain plant diversity. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/publications/botany/plantgenetics.pdf

US Environmental Protection Agency Ecosystems Research Division. Impervious Cover. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.epa.gov/ATHENS/research/impervious/

US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), 2009. Oceans, coasts and estuaries page. Overview of section 404. http://www.epa.gov/owow/invasive_species/invasives_management/cwa404.html. Last accessed April 2009.

USFWS (US Fish and Wildlife Service. Endangered species Program. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/permits/

index.html Safe Harbor Agreements for Private Landowners. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.fws.gov/

Endangered/factsheets/harborqa.pdf

USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 2005. Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan. Final June 2005. Prepared by the California/Nevada Refuge Planning Office, Sacramento, CA and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Willows, CA.

USGS Real Time Water Data for California. February 2009. Last accessed February 2009. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/rt

Waltert, Matthias, Ani Mardiastuti, Michael Muhlenburg. 2004. Effects of land use on bird species richness in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Conservation Biology 18(5) 1339-1346.

Wildland Farm Alliance. Environmental destruction in the Salinas Valley: “Food Safety” requirements to remove habitat make leafy greens less safe. Last accessed February 2009. http://www.wildfarmalliance.org/resources/WFA%20FS%20EnvDestruct2.pdf

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

XIII. Appendices

1. California Bioregional Restoration Considerations

2. Restoration Case Studies

3. Ecological and Landscape Considerations of Riparian Plants

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

The

Bay

/Del

ta B

iore

gion

Gua

lala

Riv

er *

Nap

a Ri

ver *

Pet

alum

a Ri

ver *

Rus

sian

Riv

erL

ocal

Com

mun

ityH

ortic

ultu

ral

Pote

ntia

lO

ptim

al P

lant

Com

mun

ityW

ildlif

eH

abita

tH

eavi

lyp

opul

ated

regi

onth

at

supp

liest

wo-

third

sofC

alifo

rnia

’s

wat

er.P

ublic

con

cern

sinc

lude

ba

nke

rosi

ona

ndlo

sso

fper

sona

lpr

oper

tya

ndw

ater

qua

lity.

Hig

hbi

odiv

ersi

tya

ndra

nge

ofv

eget

atio

nty

pesi

nth

isre

gion

,big

pot

entia

lfo

rcom

mun

itya

war

enes

sand

in

volv

emen

t(vo

lunt

eers

)with

re

stor

atio

n.

Pote

ntia

lfor

larg

ere

stor

atio

npr

ojec

ts

islo

wb

ecau

seo

ffew

are

asw

ithla

rge

floodplains.Whereriversaresm

aller,

scal

epl

antin

gsm

ayb

eim

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d.

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ign

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ion

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illd

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ase

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re

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uman

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seb

ank

stab

iliza

tion

to

prot

ectp

erso

nala

ndp

ublic

pro

perty

.Pr

oces

sres

tora

tion

idea

lfor

som

esm

alle

rstre

ams.

Plan

tspe

cies

that

will

ach

ieve

pu

blic

goa

lso

fban

ker

osio

nan

dde

crea

sed

sedi

men

tloa

ds

butt

hatc

ana

lso

surv

ive

and

pers

istu

nder

the

site

con

ditio

ns.

Alte

red

hydr

olog

yin

this

are

afr

omin

tens

ere

gula

tion

ofth

eriv

ersm

eans

man

ypl

ants

will

no

tnat

ural

lyc

olon

ize

and

esta

blis

h,so

pla

ntin

gca

nju

mp

star

tthe

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sts.

Inva

sive

spec

ies

requ

iree

radi

catio

nfo

rsuc

cess

ful

esta

blis

hmen

tofn

ativ

es.

Plan

tspe

cies

that

stab

ilize

ba

nksa

ndp

rovi

de

terr

estri

alw

ildlif

efo

rage

,co

vera

ndb

reed

ing

habi

tat,

and

prov

ide

shad

efo

raq

uatic

hab

itat.

Rip

aria

npl

antin

gsc

ana

lso

redu

ce

sedi

men

tloa

din

toth

eriv

ers,

whi

chc

anim

prov

est

eelh

ead

and

salm

on

habi

tat.

Can

als

oen

hanc

egr

avel

bed

satt

hesi

tew

ith

appr

opria

tesi

zed

grav

el.

The

Cen

tral

Coa

st B

iore

gion

Big

Sur R

iver

* C

arm

el R

iver

* G

uada

lupe

Riv

er *

Nac

imie

nto

Rive

r * S

an B

enito

Riv

er *

Sal

inas

Riv

er *

San

ta Y

nez R

iver

Loc

alC

omm

unity

Hor

ticul

tura

lPo

tent

ial

Opt

imal

Pla

nt C

omm

unity

Wild

life

Hab

itat

Hea

vyp

opul

atio

ngr

owth

,big

ag

ricul

tura

lind

ustry

,val

ley

ripar

ian

habi

tati

srar

e.W

ater

ish

eavi

ly

regu

late

d,st

ream

scha

nnel

ized

for

floodcontrol.Erosionandbank

stab

iliza

tion

also

con

cern

inso

me

area

s.W

ater

qua

lity

com

prom

ised

fr

omu

rban

runo

ff.O

ppor

tuni

ties

forv

olun

teer

sand

edu

catio

n,p

lus,

recr

eatio

nan

dae

sthe

ticv

alue

of

ripar

ian

area

s.

Expa

nsiv

ede

velo

pmen

tmea

ns

frag

men

ted

ripar

ian

area

s.St

ream

ch

anne

lizat

ion

can

bere

mov

edfr

om

som

est

ream

sand

rest

orat

ion

can

be

implem

entedonwidenedfloodplains,

ono

ther

s,re

vege

tatio

nca

non

lyo

ccur

on

ban

kto

ps.O

ppor

tuni

tiesa

nd

chal

leng

esfr

oma

djac

entl

and

use:

so

me

priv

ate

owne

rsw

antt

ore

stor

ela

nds.

Veg

etat

ion

mus

tnot

incr

ease

floodingintourbanareas.

Plan

tspe

cies

that

can

stab

ilize

banks,improvefilteringof

nutri

entl

oad

ofw

ater

sfro

m

urbanrunoff,andmaintainflood

conv

eyan

cep

rope

rties

ofs

tream

s.

Inva

sive

spec

iesc

ontro

lnee

ded

forp

lant

est

ablis

hmen

tand

su

rviv

al.

Plan

tspe

cies

app

ropr

iate

to

targ

eted

wild

life

for

food

and

cov

er.V

eget

atio

nsh

ould

con

nect

with

ex

istin

gst

ands

and

ble

nd

appr

opria

tely

soa

brup

tve

geta

tion

diffe

renc

esd

ono

tdet

erw

ildlif

epa

ssag

e.

1. California Bioregional Restoration Considerations

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

California Bioregional Restoration Considerations, Cont.

The

Col

orad

o D

eser

t Bio

regi

onAl

amo

Rive

r * L

ower

Col

orad

o Ri

ver *

New

Riv

er *

Whi

te R

iver

Loc

alC

omm

unity

Hor

ticul

tura

lPo

tent

ial

Opt

imal

Pla

nt

Com

mun

ityW

ildlif

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abita

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cond

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ulat

eda

rea.

Des

ert

regi

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ow

ater

issc

arce

and

thus

di

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dfo

rurb

and

rinki

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ater

and

irr

igat

ion

fora

gric

ultu

re.

Educ

atio

nne

eded

tore

duce

pla

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gsin

urb

an

area

sofi

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ive

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aris

k,a

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en

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age

nativ

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Big

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thre

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rian

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wat

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and

sa

ltier

wat

erth

atfa

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stab

lishm

ent

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vasi

veta

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Prio

ritie

sare

to

pro

tect

nat

ive

ripar

ian

stan

dsa

nd

rem

ove

tam

aris

k.I

nso

me

area

s,restorationofnaturalflow

andflood

regi

mes

isp

ossi

ble,

this

can

hel

pre

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ta

mar

isk

and

favo

rsn

ativ

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geta

tion

esta

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t.

Esta

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ival

of

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ive

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ian

spec

ies

isdeterredbyalteredflow

andfloodregimes,lack

ofse

dim

entd

epos

ition

(n

utrie

ntsf

orp

lant

s)a

nd

inva

sion

oft

amar

isk.

The

na

tura

lint

erva

lbet

wee

nfloodscanbeyearsto

deca

des,

ther

efor

e,p

lant

ed

spec

iesm

uste

ither

be

able

to

reac

hth

ew

ater

tabl

eor

irr

igat

ion

may

be

nece

ssar

y.

Tam

aris

kdo

esn

ot

prov

ide

suita

ble

wild

life

habi

tat.

Nat

ive

plan

tsa

re

nece

ssar

yfo

rthe

rich

bi

odiv

ersi

tyo

fspe

cies

in

the

regi

onw

hich

incl

udes

hi

ghn

umbe

rofe

ndem

ic

spec

ies.

Rip

aria

nar

easi

nth

isre

gion

are

par

ticul

arly

im

porta

nta

smig

rato

ry

stop

over

and

win

terin

ggr

ound

sfor

neo

tropi

cal

mig

rato

ryso

ngbi

rds.

The

Kla

mat

h B

iore

gion

Eel R

iver

* K

lam

ath

Rive

r * M

ad R

iver

* M

atto

le R

iver

* R

ussi

an R

iver

* S

alm

on R

iver

* S

cott

Rive

r * S

hast

a Ri

ver

Smith

Riv

er *

Tri

nity

Riv

erL

ocal

Com

mun

ityH

ortic

ultu

ral

Pote

ntia

lO

ptim

al P

lant

C

omm

unity

Wild

life

Hab

itat

Vast

are

aof

nat

iona

lfor

ests

and

not

he

avily

pop

ulat

ed.P

astl

and

use

ofm

inin

gan

dlo

ggin

gha

vele

dto

er

osio

npr

oble

ms,

whi

chp

ose

thre

ats

top

ublic

and

priv

ate

deve

lopm

ents

.W

ater

div

erte

dfo

ragr

icul

ture

.Pub

lic

conc

ern

over

ero

sion

,sed

imen

tatio

nof

riv

ersa

ndin

crea

sed

river

tem

pera

ture

s.O

ppor

tuni

tiesf

ore

duca

tion,

vol

unte

erin

g–

stron

gin

tere

stin

pre

serv

atio

nof

na

tura

lveg

etat

ion,

wild

life.

Largefloodplainsavailablefor

rest

orat

ion,

but

ofte

nha

veb

een

cut

offf

rom

rive

rby

berm

sfor

med

from

willow

growthinpreviouslyhighflood

pron

egr

avel

bar

s.R

emov

alo

fber

ms

andreconstructionoffloodplainoften

nece

ssar

y(s

eeT

rinity

Riv

erC

ase

Stud

y).V

eget

atio

nca

nhe

lpst

abili

ze

bank

s.Fl

ood

conv

eyan

ceis

ap

riorit

y.If

naturalhighflowsarereleased,natural

vege

tatio

nre

crui

tmen

tmay

occ

ur.

Loca

lpla

ntst

ock

and

nativ

eve

geta

tion

will

surv

ive

best

.R

ipar

ian

area

sin

this

regi

on

are

adap

ted

toin

freq

uent

fires,firesu

ppressionin

the

area

cou

ldim

pact

na

tura

lpla

ntsu

cces

sion

.R

egio

nre

ceiv

eslo

tso

fpr

ecip

itatio

n,th

ough

less

fa

llsin

the

valle

ysth

ana

thi

gher

ele

vatio

ns.

Vege

tatio

nth

atsh

ades

th

eriv

eris

par

ticul

arly

im

porta

ntfo

rsm

alle

rst

ream

stha

thav

era

pidl

yfluctuatingtemperatures.

Plan

tings

use

dto

stab

ilize

ba

nksh

ould

be

plan

ted

in

asso

ciat

ions

and

den

sitie

sth

atw

illp

rovi

dem

ultip

le

stru

ctur

esto

be

used

by

wild

life.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page �9

California Bioregional Restoration Considerations, Cont.

The

Mod

oc B

iore

gion

Fall

Rive

r * P

itt R

iver

* S

usan

Riv

er

Loc

alC

omm

unity

Hor

ticul

tura

lPo

tent

ial

Opt

imal

Pla

nt

Com

mun

ityW

ildlif

eH

abita

tLe

astp

opul

ated

are

a.L

and

owne

rshi

pis

40%

priv

ate

and

60%

pu

blic

.M

ostp

rivat

ela

ndsa

re

used

fora

gric

ultu

re,l

ives

tock

and

fo

rest

ry.

Ban

ker

osio

nis

ac

once

rn

forp

rivat

ela

ndow

ners

.In

crea

sed

sedi

men

tatio

nfr

omc

hann

elw

iden

ing

(due

tog

razi

ngp

ract

ices

)and

hi

ghw

ater

tem

pera

ture

sare

als

oco

ncer

ns.

Invo

lvem

ento

fcom

mun

ity

inre

stor

atio

nis

nec

essa

ryfo

rlan

dac

quis

ition

and

fund

ing.

Thoughthevalleyfloorsaremostly

flat,thereareonlynarrowstripso

frip

aria

nve

geta

tion,

mos

tofw

hich

ha

sbee

nre

mov

ed.

Res

tora

tion

can

invo

lve

chan

nels

tabi

lizat

ion

and

ripar

ian

plan

tings

.Fi

reri

skm

ay

nece

ssita

tep

resc

ribed

bur

nsto

redu

ce

fuel

load

s.C

onife

rsto

ckin

gha

sals

ore

duce

dna

tura

lrip

aria

nve

geta

tion

esta

blis

hmen

t,an

dcl

earc

uttin

gis

ne

cess

ary

toim

plem

entr

ipar

ian

vege

tatio

n.

Gra

zing

man

agem

ent

prac

tices

will

hel

prip

aria

nve

geta

tion

esta

blis

han

dsu

rviv

e.I

fcha

nnel

inci

sion

an

dla

tera

lwid

enin

gar

ere

duce

d,e

phem

eral

stre

ams

can

once

aga

inb

ecom

epe

renn

ial,

and

sust

ain

larg

erri

paria

nve

geta

tion

stan

ds.

Rip

aria

nve

geta

tion

that

can

stab

ilize

the

river

cha

nnel

ssho

uld

ben

ativ

ean

dfr

om

loca

lsto

ck.

This

will

su

ppor

tnat

ive

wild

life.

Th

est

able

cha

nnel

swill

co

ntin

ueto

pro

vide

wat

er

adja

cent

mea

dow

sand

th

ew

ildlif

eth

atd

epen

don

thes

eha

bita

ts.

The

Moj

ave

Bio

regi

onAm

argo

sa R

iver

* C

olor

ado

Rive

r * M

ojav

e Ri

ver

Loc

alC

omm

unity

Hor

ticul

tura

lPo

tent

ial

Opt

imal

Pla

nt

Com

mun

ityW

ildlif

eH

abita

tLa

rge

ina

rea,

mod

erat

ebu

tgro

win

gra

pidl

yin

pop

ulat

ion.

Lar

gep

ortio

nof

pub

licla

nds,

buto

ff-hi

ghw

ay

vehi

chle

(OH

V)u

seis

com

mon

,and

la

ndre

sour

ceu

seim

pair

ripar

ian

area

s.In

vasi

vesa

ltce

dari

sah

uge

prob

lem

,priv

ate

land

owne

rsn

eede

dto

take

par

tin

rem

oval

ofs

altc

edar

on

priv

ate

land

s.E

duca

tion

abou

tO

HV

and

gra

zing

impa

ctst

ola

nd

coul

dhe

lp.

His

tory

ofm

inin

g,ra

nchi

ng,g

razi

ng,

alteredflowandfireregimesandoff-

high

way

veh

icle

use

hav

ede

grad

ed

ripar

ian

area

sand

mad

eth

em

susc

eptib

leto

inva

sive

saltc

edar

.Th

est

ands

ofs

altc

edar

can

be

mon

otyp

ic

and

leav

eno

room

orr

esou

rces

for

nativ

eve

geta

tion.

Rem

oval

isfe

asib

le,

espe

cial

lyw

ithb

urni

ngfo

llow

edb

yhe

rbic

ides

.

Plan

tnat

ive

vege

tatio

nbe

fore

rein

trodu

ctio

nof

saltc

edar

.R

e-ro

ute

OH

Vtr

ails

and

enc

lose

pl

antin

gsfr

omg

razi

ngto

al

low

nat

ive

vege

tatio

nto

est

ablis

han

dsu

rviv

e.

Rem

oval

ofu

pstre

am

sour

ceso

npr

ivat

ela

ndsc

anre

duce

futu

re

intro

duct

ion

ofsa

ltced

ar.

Nat

ive

vege

tatio

npr

ovid

esth

eha

bita

tst

ruct

ure

and

reso

urce

sth

atn

ativ

ew

ildlif

ear

ead

apte

dto

.Mon

otyp

ic

stan

dso

fsal

tced

ar

extra

ctw

ater

and

nut

rient

re

sour

cesf

rom

not

onl

ypl

ants

but

wild

life,

ina

nar

eaw

here

reso

urce

scan

be

scar

ce.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page �0

California Bioregional Restoration Considerations, Cont.

The

Sie

rra

Bio

regi

onEa

sto

fcre

st:C

arso

n Ri

ver *

Ow

ens R

iver

* T

ruck

ee R

iver

* W

alke

r Riv

erW

esto

fcre

st:A

mer

ican

Riv

er *

Con

sum

nes R

iver

* F

eath

er R

iver

* K

awea

h Ri

ver *

Ker

n Ri

ver *

Kin

gs R

iver

* M

erce

d Ri

ver

San

Joa

quin

Riv

er *

Sta

nisl

aus R

iver

* T

uolu

mne

Riv

er *

Yub

a Ri

ver

Loc

alC

omm

unity

Hor

ticul

tura

lPo

tent

ial

Opt

imal

Pla

nt

Com

mun

ityW

ildlif

eH

abita

tEx

tens

ive

wat

erd

iver

sion

sand

re

gula

tion,

min

ing,

logg

ing,

gra

zing

,ag

ricul

ture

,rur

alsp

raw

land

inva

sive

pl

ants

peci

esim

pact

the

ripar

ian

syst

ems.

Wat

erq

ualit

yan

dba

nk

eros

ion

are

maj

orc

once

rns.

Res

ourc

em

anag

ersa

ndla

ndow

ners

are

will

ing

toin

vest

tim

ean

dm

oney

into

co

nser

vatio

npr

actic

esa

nda

reo

pen

tod

esig

ning

mor

eec

olog

ical

lyso

und

man

agem

entp

ract

ices

.C

omm

unity

in

volv

emen

tand

edu

catio

nar

elik

ely

tofindsu

pport,toprotectthearea’s

natu

ralh

igh

biod

iver

sity

and

pro

tect

th

em

any

thre

aten

eda

nde

ndan

gere

dsp

ecie

s.

Logg

ing,

road

con

stru

ctio

n,g

razi

ng

and

wat

erd

iver

sion

shav

ede

grad

ed

mou

ntai

nst

ream

s.Lo

sso

frip

aria

nve

geta

tion

and

eros

ion

caus

edc

hann

els

tom

igra

tea

ndin

cise

dee

pch

anne

ls,

lead

ing

tofu

rther

ero

sion

,hig

hse

dim

ent

load

sdow

nstre

am,a

ndc

utof

ffro

m

mou

ntai

nm

eado

ws.

On

thes

est

ream

s,ph

ysic

alp

lugg

ing

ofn

ewc

hann

elc

an

re-d

irect

stre

amto

his

toric

cha

nnel

.A

long

the

east

ern

sier

ra,i

nar

idre

gion

s,restoringmorenaturalflow

regimeshas

been

succ

essf

ulin

allo

win

grip

aria

nve

geta

tion

ton

atur

ally

rest

ore

itsel

f.

Reducedandmodified

graz

ing

prac

tices

and

ac

tive

plan

ting

can

spee

dre

cove

ryo

fmou

ntai

nm

eado

wst

ream

sand

in

mor

ear

idre

gion

s.

Encl

osur

esa

ndm

anag

ed

graz

ing

are

need

edto

en

sure

veg

etat

ion

can

surv

ive.

Res

tora

tion

ofnaturalflow

regimes

need

edto

con

tinue

re

crui

tmen

tofn

ewri

paria

nsp

ecie

sand

toa

llow

pla

nt

succ

essi

on.

Dec

isio

ns

aboutfunctionalflow

re

gim

esa

ndg

razi

ng

prac

tices

will

requ

ire

adap

tive

man

agem

ento

nin

divi

dual

rive

rs.

Res

tora

tion

ofm

ount

ain

stre

amss

uppo

rts

wild

life

that

use

ripa

rian

vege

tatio

nan

dal

so

reco

nnec

tsto

mea

dow

sw

hich

supp

orta

dditi

onal

w

ildlif

esp

ecie

s.W

ith

mou

ntai

nst

ream

re

stor

atio

n,th

ere

are

oppo

rtuni

tiest

ocr

eate

ad

ditio

nalw

ildlif

ere

sour

cess

uch

asp

onds

fo

rwat

erfo

wla

ndo

ther

w

ildlif

eth

atc

anb

ecr

eate

dw

hen

soils

are

excavatedtofillinthe

new

and

dee

ply

inci

sed

chan

nels

.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

California Bioregional Restoration Considerations, Cont.

The

Sou

th C

oast

Bio

regi

onO

tay

Rive

r * L

os A

ngel

es R

iver

* S

an D

iego

Riv

er *

San

Gab

riel

Riv

er *

San

Jac

into

Riv

er *

San

Lui

s Rey

Riv

er

* Sa

nta

Ana

Rive

r *S

anta

Cla

ra R

iver

* S

anta

Mar

gari

ta R

iver

* V

entu

ra R

iver

Loc

alC

omm

unity

Hor

ticul

tura

lPo

tent

ial

Opt

imal

Pla

nt

Com

mun

ityW

ildlif

eH

abita

tTh

isb

iore

gion

isc

hara

cter

ized

by

havi

ngm

ajor

citi

esa

ndh

eavi

ly

popu

late

dar

easa

mon

ga

dive

rse

mos

aic

ofn

atur

ala

reas

and

reso

urce

s.Fi

resi

nth

esu

mm

era

ndb

igst

orm

sin

the

win

terl

ead

toh

uge

land

slid

es,

eros

ion

isa

con

tinuo

usp

robl

emfr

om

loss

ofv

eget

atio

n,p

oorly

loca

ted

road

s,m

inin

g,g

razi

ng,l

oggi

ng,

agric

ultu

re,a

ndd

evel

opm

ent.

Riparianareasarenaturalfirebarriers

due

toh

igh

moi

stur

eco

nten

toff

uel,

butw

hen

inva

ded

bya

rrun

doth

ey

areveryflam

mable.A

rundoalso

increasesfl

ooding.C

oncernover

erosion,firesandlandslidesprovide

oppo

rtuni

tiest

oac

quire

land

for

rest

orat

ion

and

educ

ate

the

publ

ic

abou

tnat

ural

cos

teffe

ctiv

eso

lutio

ns.

Mul

tiple

land

use

shav

ere

duce

drip

aria

nve

geta

tion,

stre

amb

anks

erode,floodplainsareremoved,and

largefloodstearthroughthestream

sca

usin

gm

ore

eros

ion

and

grea

ter

dow

nstre

amse

dim

entl

oads

.D

redg

ing

and

sedi

men

tdis

posa

lare

exp

ensi

ve,i

tis

mor

ecl

earn

owth

atth

eco

sto

flan

daquisitionandfloodplainrebuildingis

less

exp

ensi

vea

ndm

ore

succ

essf

ul.

A

maj

orfo

cuso

fres

tora

tion

isre

mov

al

ofA

rund

o(s

eeS

anta

Mar

garit

aC

ase

Stud

y).R

eveg

etat

ion

alon

eis

not

al

way

seno

ugh

tost

abili

zeb

anks

,andfloodplainsareoftenphysically

recontouredtomanageoverflowof

bank

s.Le

vees

are

setb

ack

orre

mov

ed.

Gra

zing

mus

tbe

man

aged

to

kee

prip

aria

nve

geta

tion

inp

lace

.Er

osio

nco

ntro

lan

dba

nkst

abili

zatio

nar

epr

iorit

ies,

ther

efor

eve

geta

tion

that

est

ablis

hes

and

grow

squi

ckly

is

pref

erre

d.H

owev

er,

effo

rtsto

sele

cta

ppro

pria

te

spec

iesa

dapt

edto

the

loca

lcon

ditio

nsw

illb

esu

cces

sful

inth

elo

ng

term.Similarly,floodplain

vege

tatio

nsh

ould

not

on

lym

eett

heh

ydra

ulic

m

odel

ing

need

sand

dire

ct

flowsp

roperly,butinclude

aw

ella

dapt

edsu

iteo

fsp

ecie

stha

tcan

surv

ive

the

curr

enth

ydro

logi

cre

gim

e.

Inva

sive

spec

iess

uch

asa

rrun

dow

illre

quire

re

mov

ala

ndm

anag

emen

tun

tiln

ativ

eve

geta

tion

is

wel

lest

ablis

hed.

Rip

aria

nve

geta

tion

on

man

yriv

ersa

ndst

ream

sin

this

regi

onis

muc

hre

duce

d,th

ough

onc

ees

tabl

ishe

dit

can

prov

ide

the

com

plex

veg

etat

ion

stru

ctur

esa

ndsp

ecie

sne

eded

tosu

ppor

tdiv

erse

w

ildlif

ein

the

regi

on.

Thoughfloodcontrol,

erosionandfirecontrol

are

the

maj

orp

riorit

ies,

the

ripar

ian

vege

tatio

nca

nbe

des

igne

dw

ith

wild

life

spec

iesi

nm

ind.

Arr

undo

doe

snot

pr

ovid

ead

equa

teh

abita

tfo

rmul

tiple

nee

dso

fw

ildlif

e,re

mov

ala

nd

reve

geta

tion

with

nat

ive

and

dive

rse

spec

iesc

an

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2. Restoration Case Studies

Case Study #1: Restoration at Buffington Tract on the Stanislaus River: Horticultural RestorationProject SummaryThishorticulturalriparianrestorationprojectwasimplementedtoconnectwithexistingriparianvegetationon thesiteandremnantriparianforestandshrub landsadjacent to theprojectboundary to increase theamountofriparianvegetationforspecificwildlifespecies.Amajorgoaloftheprojectwastobuildhabitatrequirementsoftargetedwildlife.Specificwildlifeneedswereincorporatedintotherestorationplantingdesignthroughplantspeciesselection,communityassociations,anddensityofplantings.

RestorationtookplaceontheStanislausRiver,whichisatributarytotheSanJoaquinRiver,andishuman-impactedtoadegreethatnaturalprocessescannotregulatetheriparianecosystem.Waterdiversion,flowregulation,floodplainlevelingandclearing,andinvasivespecieshavestressedthenativeplantandwildlifecommunities.Very rare flood events on the site occasionally reconnect the floodplain to the river, butrestorationplantingdesignhadtoconsiderthedecreaseinfrequencyandmagnitudeofnaturaldisturbances(floodingandpossiblyfire).Thealteredhydrographthatriparianspeciesareadaptedtomodifiessurvivalandsuccessionofplantedspecies,therefore,aconceptualmodelofplantsuccessionforthesitewascreatedduringtheplanningprocess.Therelativelyflattopographyofthesiteresultingfrompreviouslanduseslendeditselfwelltohorticulturalrestorationtechniquesandcontinuedirrigationandweedcontrolforthreeyears.Becausehorticulturalrestorationdesignforspecificwildlifewasthemajorfocusofthisproject,siteevaluationwasa considerableportionof theplanningprocess, alongwithdevelopmentof theplantingdesign.

Project Name BuffingtonTractCounty, River, Bioregion SanJoaquin/StanislausCounties,StanislausRiver,SanJoaquin

ValleyBioregionProject Goals – Primary reason for restoration

Restoreriparianvegetationtoconnectwithexistingvegetationtoincreaseamountofpotentialhabitatfortargetedwildlifespecies,including:riparianbrushrabbit,riparianwoodrat,leastBell’svireo,Valleyelderberrylonghornbeetle,neotropicalmigratorysongbirds,residentsongbirds,andquail.

Long term goals and considerations

Establishself-sustaining,plantcommunitieswithinathreeyearperiod

Partnerships U.S.FWS,CaliforniaBay-DeltaAuthority,CSUStanislaus,PRBO,RHJV,CaswellStatePark,privatelandowners

Restoration Planning Process (Steps in Flow Chart) Here,afewofthestepsintheflowchartthatwereamajorpartofthisrestorationarediscussed,formorespecificdetailsseeabovelinktothecompleterestorationplan.

1.Designation of Site as RiparianThesitewasconsideredriparianbecauseevenaftertheregulationoftheStanislausbytheNewMelonesdamintheearly1980’s,thesitestillexperiencesoccasional(thoughveryrare)floodevents.

2.Evaluation of Site Conditions: How river processes operate on the site

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Hydrology –The historic and current hydrologic conditions at the site were determined by examininghistoricflowdataandaerialphotographsfromseveraldecadesbothpreandpostdamconstruction.DailystreamflowdischargedatafromtheUSGSoftheStanislausRiverfrom1946to2006showedmuchhighervariabilityinamountofwaterintheriverbeforedamconstructioninthe1980’s(Figure1).Thenaturalhydrographforriversintheseregionsischaracterizedbypeakflowsduringwinterstormsandlatespringsnow run-off. With regulationof riverflowsby thedam, the resultinghydrograph is characterizedbysmaller,shorterhighflowevents.Lesswaterflowingthroughtherivermeanstherearefewopportunitiesforwatertoflowovertheriverbanksontothefloodplainandintooxbowlakesandsidechannels.Regulationofriverflowsalsokeepstheriverinitscurrentchannel,sothereisnomoresanddeposition,bankerosionorlateralchannelmigration.Treespecies,suchaswillowsandcottonwoods,whichdependonanaturalhydrographforrecruitmentandsurvival,arethereforeunlikelytoestablishnaturallyatthissite.Figure1.StanislausRiverstreamflowatRipon,Californiafortheperiodofrecord1940-2007.

Data shows much higher variation before the New Melones Dam became operational in the early �9�0’s.

Vertical red line indicates 1982, the year New Melones Reservoir filled.

Aerialphotosshowedthepre-damdynamicnatureoftheriver,whichcreatedoxbowlakes,sidechannelsandnewlyexposedsandbars.Liketheflowdata,thesepicturesrevealapost-damriverthatisrelativelystaticandlikelytoremaininitscurrentchannel.Aphotoofalargepost-damfloodevent(Figure2)providesevidencethattheriveriscapableofoverflowingitsbanksandrechargingoxbowlakesandsidechannels,eventhoughthisisarareevent.

DRAFT RIPARIAN RESTORATION DESIGN GUIDELINES 8River Partners 7/13/2009

streamflow discharge data from the USGS of the Stanislaus River from 1946 to 2006 showed much higher variability in amount of water in the river before dam construction in the 1980’s (Figure 1). The natural hydrograph for rivers in these regions is characterized by peak flows during winter storms and late spring snow run-off. With regulation of river flows by the dam, the resulting hydrograph is characterized by smaller, shorter high flow events. Less water flowing through the river means there are few opportunities for water to flow over the river banks onto the floodplain and into oxbow lakes and side channels. Regulation of river flows also keeps the river in its current channel, so there is no more sand deposition, bank erosion or lateral channel migration. Tree species, such as willows and cottonwoods, which depend on a natural hydrograph for recruitment and survival, are therefore unlikely to establish naturally at this site.

Figure 1. Stanislaus River streamflow at Ripon, California for the period of record 1940-2007.

Data shows much higher variation before the New Melones Dam became operational in the early 1980’s. Vertical red line indicates1982, the year New Melones Reservoir filled.

Aerial photos showed the pre-dam dynamic nature of the river, which created oxbow lakes, side channels and newly exposed sand bars. Like the flow data, these pictures reveal a post-dam river that is relatively static and likely to remain in its current channel. A photo of a large post-dam flood event (Figure 2) provides evidence that the river is capable of overflowing its banks and recharging oxbow lakes and side channels, even though this is a rare event.

Figure 1. Stanislaus River streamflow at Ripon, California for the period of record 1940-2007.

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Soils–Adetailedsiteevaluationofsoilsincludedanalysisofsoiltexture,stratification,depthtothewatertable,andhistoryof landusebyconsultingtheNRCSsoilmaps,diggingsoilpits,andconsultingwithneighborsandpreviouslandowners.Soilsurveymapsshowedthatsoilsonthissiteareamosaicofloamy,alluvialsoiltypesderivedprimarilyfromgranite,moderatelywelldrained,withlittletonoslopes(Figure3). Excavation of several backhoe pits during summer, fall and winter to capture seasonal variation ingroundwaterdepthrevealed thewater table tobebelow12feet. Insomelocations,sandfilled thepitsat3feetindepth.Thereareareasinthisprojectsitethatretainednaturaltopography,andareasofhigherelevationwereusedtobuildfloodrefugiafortheriparianbrushrabbitsduringhighwaterevents.

Figure 12. 1950 aerial photograph of Buffington project area. Courtesy of McHenry Museum, Modesto, CA.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

Figure 3. Soils Map and Soil Pit Locations for the Buffington Tract, Stanislaus County, California.

SedimentTransport –The streamflowdata and aerial photos indicated that theStanislausRiver in thisstretchbelowthedamislikelytoremainfixedinitschannel.Therefore,depositionisnotoccurringonthissiteandtherearenonewlyexposedsandbars,whichmeansthereislittlechanceofnaturalrecruitmentofcottonwoodandwillowsatthissite.Thereissomescouroftheriverchannel,sobankstabilizationwasenhancedbyplantingriparianvegetation.

ExistingVegetation–Severalareasofoldriparianspeciesarepresentthroughoutthissite.Afewoftheseprovide foragingandnestinghabitat for the riparianbrush rabbit and riparianwoodrat, andprovidedareferenceconditionof thevegetationstructure that is requiredby thesespecies.Restorationon thissiteconnectedtheseareasofriparianvegetation.

3.Conceptual Model of Physical and Biological Successional TrajectoryAconceptualmodelisessentialinchoosinglocation,typeanddensityofspeciestoplant,becauseitforcestherestorationisttoconsiderhowsiteconditionsandplantsuccessionwillchangetheplantcommunitiesovertime.Theaerialphotosshowedevidenceofpre-damchannelmeanderandflooding,thatcreatedoxbowlakesandsidechannels,anddepositedsedimentandbuilt sandbars.Post-damphotosshoweda lackofre-chargeintothelakesandchannels,shrubcolonizationofpointbarsandnonewsanddeposition,andlargetreesnexttooxbowlakesandsidechannelsappearedtobesenescing.Withoutrestorationonthesite,slowshrubsuccessionwouldtakeplacewithheavyweedcompetition.Treeslikewillowsandcottonwoodswouldnotbeabletonaturallyrecruitandsurviveonthissite.Basedonthesoilsprofilesandhydrologyof

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

thesite,itwasdeterminedthattheprojectareacouldsupportriparianforest,shrubandherbaceousspecies,butthetargetedwildlifespeciesprimarilyrequiredshrubandherbaceousspecies.Therefore,aselectionofshrubspecieswaschosentobeplantedinseveralcommunities,andtheirpredictedsuccessionalpathalongthisriverwithitsveryrarefloodevents,isshowninFigure4.Becauseofthevariationinsoilprofilesandtextures throughout thesite, itwasexpected thatnotallplantswouldsurviveuniformly throughout thesite.Suchvariablesurvivalislikelytocreateapatchworkdesignofvegetationthroughoutthesite,withopeningsthatpromotegroundcoverspeciesandprovidebaskinglocations,andthereforethevariabilitywasnotconsideredtobeaproblem.Toretainthegoalof70%survivalatthissite,however,somespecieswereplantedathigherdensitiestolimittheneedforreplanting.

References: RiverPartners.2008.RestorationPlanfortheBuffingtonUnit,SanJoaquinRiverNationalWildlifeRefuge.S.SmallandT.Griggs.Modesto,California.

DRAFT RIPARIAN RESTORATION DESIGN GUIDELINES 66River Partners 4/16/2009

Pre-regulationChannel Movement (Now frozen in place)

Active(Regulated)

Stream Channel

OxbowLakes

Gravel Bar

Willow Scrub Plant more

willowScrub species

SideChannels

Mixed Riparian Forests

Cottonwood, Valley Oak, Regenerating shrubs

Plant more shrubs

Valley Oak Forest Valley Oak,

Blue elderberry, Rose Plant more shrubs

InvasiveWeeds

Some shrubs remain

Plant aggressive native herbaceous

Grazing

Shrub land Mixed shrubs,

native herbaceous layer

Lack of WeedManagement

BiologicalSuccession

Disturbance

Figure 4: Conceptual Model of Restoration and Plant Succession on the Regulated Stanislaus River

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Case Study #2: Restoration on the Santa Margarita River:Arundo donax Removal

Project SummaryThefocusofrestorationontheSantaMargaritariverhaslargelybeencontrolofthenon-nativeinvasive,highlyvigorousandrapidlyspreadingArundo donax. Introduced intosouthernCaliforniaoriginallyforbankstabilization,thisweedfromAsiaisresilient,growsrapidly,andunlikenativeriparianvegetation,itishighlyflammableandregeneratesquicklyafterburning(Bell1997).Thoughitsseedsarenotviablehere,itcanspreadvegetativelyandsproutfrompiecesoftheplantsthattearoffandfloatdownstreamwheretheyrestonriverbanks(Lawsonetal.2005).WhereA. donax establishes,itquicklyoutcompetesnativevegetationandformsmonotypicculturesofavegetationtypethathasnotproventobearesourceoffoodornestingstructurefornativewildlife(Bell1997).Inaddition,tomeetitsrapidgrowthraterequirements,A. donaxconsumeswateratsucharatethatevenwildlifemustcompetewiththeplantforwater.Arundo donaxdisplacesnative treesandshrubs suchaswillows,cottonwood,andmulefat thatprovidenestinghabitatfortheFederallyEndangeredLeastBell’sVireo,whichisatargetspeciesforrestorationalongthisriver.

Restorationisguidedbycoordinated,largescaleremovalofA.donax,andlong-termmonitoringandre-treatmenttoensurelongtermeradicationoftheweed.Removalistheactivephaseofrestoration,whichallows physical processes such as floods to regenerate native vegetation along floodplainswithout theoppressivecompetition.TheSantaMargaritawatershedretainsfloodregimesthataresufficienttocauseoverbankflooding,depositsediment,anddistributeseedsofnativeplants,butthehydrographisalteredbyriverregulationandwaterdiversions.Asecondfocusofrestorationonthisriverisadaptivemanagement;themostsuccessfulmethodshavebeenlearnedthroughouttheprocess,withchangesmadetothemethodsas needed. Experimental plots were set up and monitored to learn the most effective techniques. Inaddition,smallscalehorticulturaltechniquesweretestedtodeterminecost-effectivemethodsofenhancingrevegetation.

Project Name SantaMargaritaRiverArundo donaxControlProjectCounty, River, Bioregion SanDiegoCounty,SantaMargaritaRiver,SouthCoastBioregionProject Goals – Primary reason for restoration

RemoveA. donax(andotherinvasiveweeds)toallownativevegetationthechancetore-establishandsupporttargetedwildlifespeciesincludingtheLeastBell’sVireo.

Long term goals and considerations

PermanentlyeradicateA.donaxfromtreatedareaswithinitialremovalandfollowwithlongtermmonitoring.

Partnerships MarineCorpsBaseCampPendelton,TheNatureConservancy,MissionResourceConservationDistrict,privatelandowners

Restoration Planning Process (Steps in Flow Chart) Here,afewofthestepsintheflowchartthatwereamajorpartofthisrestorationarediscussed,formorespecificdetailsseeabovelinktothecompleteeradicationmethods.

1.Designation of Site as RiparianTherearetwodamsontheupperwatershedoftheSantaMargaritaRiver,buttheyreleaseflowsthatroughlymimictheundammedhydrograph,allowingtherivertoretainarelativelynaturalflowregime.Therefore,floodingandsedimentdepositionstillconnectthefloodplainstotheriver.

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2.Evaluation of Site Conditions: How river processes operate on the siteBecause of the semi-natural hydrograph, high flows inundate portions of the flood plain, recharginggroundwater, depositingnutrient rich sediment anddistributingnative seeds.The frequency and extentoffloodinghasbeenaltered,andingeneral,baseflowsarereducedandpeakflowsareincreased.ManyportionsoftheSantaMargaritaRiverareprotected,sothereisriparianfloodplainavailabletoberestored.ThebiggestfactorlimitingnativevegetationisthewidespreadinvasiveA. donax.Removalofthisweedhas been the major focus of restoration, therefore site evaluation has largely consisted of mapping A. donax, and deciding the best locations for removal. To prevent A. donax from spreading downstream,effortsweremade tobeginremovalupstreamandprogressdownstream,andacoordinationof removaleffortswasalsoimplementedtolimitthespreadofA. donaxintoareasasaresultofremovaltechniques.Severalexperimentalhorticulturalrestorationtechniquesweretestedinplotsthroughouttheprojectarea.Attheseplots,soiltextureandstratificationwasexamined,anddistancetothemainchannelwasrecordedasasubstituteforrelativeelevationtothewatertable.Survivalofrestorationplantingswasmeasuredandrelated tomeasuredvariables.Through theseexperiments,preferredsoilconditionsandpositionon thefloodplainpreferencesforspecificnativeriparianplantswererevealed;suchplantpreferencescouldthenbeappliedtofuturerestorationplantings.

3.Conceptual Model of Physical and Biological Successional TrajectoryConceptual models used in horticultural restoration can help the restorationist decide which species toplant,atwhatdensities,andatwhichlocations.Themodelcanthenallowaguesstobemadeabouthowsiteconditionsandplantsuccessionwillaffectthefuturecompositionandplantcommunitystructureovertime.They are also beneficial for process restorationwill be implemented at a site.Process restorationwasimplementedontheSantaMargaritaRiver;byremovingtheinvasiveweedA. donax,itwasassumedthatnatural riverprocesseswouldallownativeplants tore-vegetateareasclearedof theexoticspecies.Aconceptualmodel for theSantaMargaritaRiver showshowA. donax preventsnatural successionofplantcommunitiesfromtakingplace,andhelpssubstantiategoalsthatcanbeevaluatedduringvegetationmonitoringafterremoval(Figure1,nextpage).

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DRAFT RIPARIAN RESTORATION DESIGN GUIDELINES 69River Partners 4/16/2009

Channel Movement Flooding

Biological Succession Aggradation

A. donax Removal

Arundo donax Contamination

Active Stream Channel

Gravel bars And Braids

Willow Colonization

Willow Scrub

Willows, mulefat, Herbaceous understory

Willow Riparian Forest

Cottonwoods,willows

Cha

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Mea

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Figure 1: Conceptual Model of Plant Succession Influence of A. donax on the Santa Margarita River

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Case Study #3: Restoration on the Trinity River: Berm RemovalProject SummaryPriortotheCentralValleyProject’screationoftheTrinityRiverDiversion(TRD)intheearly1960’s,theTrinityRiversupportedabundantpopulationsofsalmonandsteelhead(TrinityRiverEIR).Withthelossof109milesofcriticalfishhabitatabovetheLewistonDamontheTrinityRiver,andupto90%ofthewaterdivertedtotheCentralValley,fishpopulationsdeclinedrapidly(TrinityRiverEIR).TheTrinityRiverRestorationProgramisanongoingprojecttorestoretheTrinityRiverBasinfishandwildlifepopulations.

Historically,flowsthroughtheTrinityRiverwereextremelyvariable,withhighfloodsexceeding70,000cfs,butaftertheTRD,foralmosttwodecadesaconstantlowflowof100to150cfsflowedthroughtheTrinityRiver (TrinityRiverBiologicalMonitoring2007).Withoutvariableflows, fastgrowingwillowsestablishedclosetotheriverchannel.Overtime,thewillowsaccumulatedsedimentandadditionalshrubbyspecies established, until narrow but often high banks of vegetation were formed that would normallyhavebeenscouredawaybyoccasionalhighflowevents.Thesebermsactasnaturalleveestoisolatethefloodplain from the channel, preventing bank overflow onto the floodplain, groundwater recharge andsedimentdeposition.Isolatedfloodplainsarenolongerabletorecruityoungtreesandshrubsandeventuallythematureforestsdecline.Eventuallythebermsgrewsolargethathydraulicmodelingrevealedthatevenintentionallyreleasedhighflowswouldnotbeabletoremovethem(TrinityRiverFlowEvaluation1999).

AmajorcomponentofrestorationalongtheTrinityRiverismechanicalremovalofberms,andphysicalreconstructionofthedamagedfloodplain.AsecondnecessarycomponentofrestorationontheTrinityhasbeenanincorporationofvariableannualinstreamflowsthatcanpreventfuturebermformations,encouragenativeriparianvegetationestablishment,andimprovefishhabitat.Restorationeffortsincludeintroductionofcoarsesedimenttoincreasegravelstorage,improvechanneldynamics,andincreasesalmonspawningandrearinghabitat.Revegetationofrebuiltfloodplainsisexpectedtooccurnaturallywithincreasedflows,but native riparian vegetation is planted on some floodplains to quickly stabilize banks and decreasesediment loads into theriver.Restorationalong theTrinityRiverrequiresapplyingnewtechniquesandlearningabout the system throughout theprocess.Toensure scientificmonitoringandevaluationcouldinfluence restorationdecisions throughout implementation, anAdaptiveEnvironmentalAssessment andManagementProgramwasformed.

Project Name TrinityRiverRestorationProgramCounty, River, Bioregion TrinityCounty,TrinityRiver,KlamathBioregionProject Goals – Primary reason for restoration

Restorefishandwildlifehabitatbyallowingtherivertofunctionmorenaturally–removeberms,rebuildfloodplains,restorevariableflowregime,stabilizeriverbankswithnativevegetation.

Long term goals and considerations

Throughphysicalremovalofberms,rebuildingofthefloodplain,andallowingamorevariableflowregimethroughtheriver,thetrinityrivershouldbeabletomaintainfishandwildlifehabitatsnaturally,butcontinuedmonitoringmayrevealthatalteredflowsareneeded.

Partnerships BureauofReclamation,U.S.FishandWildlifeService,ForestService,NationalMarineFisheriesService,CaliforniaResourcesAgency(includingtheDepartmentsofWaterResourcesandFishandGame),TrinityCounty,theHoopaValleyTribe,andtheYurokTribe

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Restoration Planning Process (Steps in Flow Chart) Here,afewofthestepsintheflowchartthatwereamajorpartofthisrestorationarediscussed,formorespecificdetailsseeabovelinktotheTrinityRiverRestorationProgram.

1.Designation of Site as RiparianLewistonDamregulatesreleasesintotheTrinityRiver.Historicstreamflowswerehighlyvariable,andthiskeptthechannelactivelycreatingfloodplains,sloughs,andscouredawayopportunisticwoodyvegetationinlowflowreaches.WithlowflowreleasesaftercreationofLewistonDam,riparianbermformationactedasnaturalleveesandisolatedfloodplainsfromtheriverchannelinseveralreachesoftheriver.Removalofbermsandreleaseofhigherbaseflowsandannualvariabilityinflowswillreconnectthefloodplainswiththeactivechannel,designatingthefloodplainsasriparianareas.

2.Evaluation of Site Conditions: How river processes operate on the siteHydraulicModeling: In1984, theTrinityRiverBasinFishandWildlifeActwas signed,with thegoalofrestoringfishandwildlifepopulationstopre-regulationlevels.Itwasrecognizedthatriparianbermshadformedalongtheriverandwerealteringthemorphologyoftheriverchannel.Naturally,thechannelgentlyslopedfromthedeepestpartofthemainstreamchanneluptothelowerfloodplainterrace,providingmicrohabitatsforfish.Onthisgentleslope,duringlowflows,riparianvegetationestablishedandcontinuedlowflowswerenotstrongenoughtoscourthevegetationaway.Assedimentgatheredamongthevegetationandthebermsformed,thechannelbecamenarrowwithsteepsidesastheriverwasconfined. Thefishhabitatcreatedbythegentleslopeswaslostwiththeformationofberms.Isolatedfloodplainsalsosufferedwiththelackofconnectiontotheriverchannel.Youngtreesandshrubswereunabletorecruitwithoutoverflowonto thefloodplains, andmaturevegetationno longer receivednutrients from sediment inputor groundwater recharge. Overtime the riparian vegetation on floodplains declined.The first phase ofrestorationontheTrinityRivercalledforhydraulicmonitoringtoevaluatewhether thebermscouldberemoved by releasing high flows. Hydraulicmodeling revealed that even the highest controlled floodreleaseswouldnotbepowerfulenoughtoremovealloftheberms.Thismodelinginformedrestorationiststhatmechanicalbermremovalwouldbenecessary.Modelingdidshowthatonceremoved,variablehighflowreleaseswouldbesufficienttopreventnewbermformation.

Sediments:EnhancingfishpopulationsareaprimarygoaloftheTrinityRiverRestorationProgram.Inadditiontoisolationfrom109milesofspawninghabitatabovethedamandalteredmorphologyoftheriverbelowthedam,fishpopulationssufferedduetolossofcoarsespawninggravelbelowthedam.Studiesofspawninggravelavailabilityshowedthatdirectlybelowthedam,mostofthecoarsesediment–cobblesandgravel,hadbeentrappedbythedam.Therefore,afterbermremoval,floodplainreconstructionandsidechannelcreations,fishhabitatclosetothedamwasenhancedbytheadditionofspawninggravelsizedsediment.Isolationoffloodplainsfromtheriverchannelbyriparianbermseliminatedmuchoftheriparianshrubsandtreesalongthechannel,whichcausesadditionalfinesedimentloadintotheriverfrombankerosion.Stabilizationofthebankswithnativevegetationhelpsreducethesedimentload.

3.Conceptual Model of Physical and Biological Successional TrajectoryAconceptualmodelof theprocessesof theriverchannelandplantsuccessionontheTrinityRivercanillustratehowover-regulatedflowsandriparianbermformationcanalterthenaturalcourse.Themodelcanalsohelpplanwhichnativeplantstousetorevegetatesidechannelsandnewlycreatedfloodplains(Figure1,nextpage).

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Figure 1: Conceptual Model for Plant Succession on the Trinity River - Influence of Riparian Berms

DRAFT RIPARIAN RESTORATION DESIGN GUIDELINES 72River Partners 4/16/2009

Reconstruction

Hardwoods and Conifer Uplands

Active Stream Channel

Gravel bars Gentle slope from deep channel to gravel bar

provides fish microhabitats

Willow, Alder, CottonwoodColonization

Cottonwood,Willow,

Maple, Ash, Alder Riparian Forest

Side Channels Fish spawning and

rearing habitat

Isolated FloodplainMature declining

forests – no youngtrees and shrubs

Berm Formation (Non-variable flows over many years)

Berm

Mechanical Removal

BiologicalSuccession

Channel Movement

Flow Regulation

Physical Removal/ Reconstruction

Cha

nnel

Mea

nder

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Case Study #4: Restoration on the Upper Truckee RiverBank Stabilization

Project SummaryTheUpperTruckeeRiverflowsintoLakeTahoe,andhasbeenidentifiedasthelargestcontributorofsedimentintothelakefromerodingstreambanks(Simonetal.2006).IncompliancewiththeTotalMaximumDailyLoaddevelopedforLakeTahoe,andasapriorityoftheLakeTahoeEnvironmentalImprovementProgram,theSunsetReachoftheUpperTruckeeRiverisasiteofprocessrestorationthatwillphysicallyrebuildthechannelandcontourthesurroundingmeadowsandriparianfloodplainswiththegoalofreducingsedimentloadsintothelake.

Ahistoryofurbandevelopment,flowregulation(decreasedflowsandchannelstraightening)gravelmining,grazing,infrastructuredevelopment,andlogginghasincreasedthesedimentloadintotheriver.Theriverhasadjustedthroughbankfailures,channelwideningandincising.Thecombinationofalargerchannelandalowervolumeofwaterreleasedthroughtheriverrarelyallowoverbankflowandthegroundwatertableislowered.Theriparianfloodplainsarethereforerarelyinundated,andinmanylocationsthewatertableistoolowformeadowvegetationtoreach.Undernaturalconditions,waterflowsthroughsinuouschannelswithbanksstabilizedbynativemeadoworriparianplants,andthere is littlebankerosion.Duringhighflows(andnaturalconditions)muchofthesedimentisdistributedontothefloodplainwhereitistrapped,reducingtheloadcarriedbythechanneltoLakeTahoe.Undercurrentconditions–straightened,incisedchannelsandlowerreleasedflows–thevegetationadaptedtodrierconditionsthatestablishesalongthebankshasshallowerrootsandcannotpreventbankerosion.Thewidenedchannelsaremostlyfilledwithsand. Highqualityfishhabitat–poolsandcoarsegravel riffles–hasdeclinedalongwith theprimaryaquaticproductionthatsustainsfishpopulations.

RestorationonthisreachoftheTruckeeRiverisfocusedonreducingsedimentloadduetochannelerosionandimprovingfishhabitat.Theproposedmethodforrestorationistocreatenewchannelsoftheappropriatewidthanddepthtoaccommodatethesedimentloadsandcurrentflows.Oldchannelswillbefilledinandrevegetated.Thenewchannelswillbe stabilized toprevent futureerosionwith riparianvegetationandstructuralsupportssuchassodblocks,largewoodymaterialsandrocks.Thechannelswillbeconstructedtoincludedeeperpoolsandgentlegravellinedslopesforfishspawningandrearinghabitats.Thefloodplainswillalsobereconstructedtoincludeseasonallywetdepressions.Riparianandmeadowvegetationwillbeplantedalongtheriverchannels.Additionally,whereconifershaveencroachedintotheriparianzone,theywillberemoved.

Project Name SunsetReachoftheUpperTruckeeRiverCounty, River, Bioregion ElDoradoCounty,TruckeeRiver,SierraBioregionProject Goals – Primary reason for restoration

ImproveclarityofLakeTahoebyreducingsedimentloadfromtheUpperTruckeeRiverduetostreambankerosion.Restorefishandwildlifehabitatthroughchannelconstructionandplantingriparianvegetation.

Long term goals and considerations

Thechannelwillberebuilttoaccommodatecurrentflowandsedimentregimes,andwillbestrengthenedbyriparianvegetationandstructuralsupports.Modelspredictthesemodificationswillpreventfutureerosion.

Partnerships NationalForestServiceLakeTahoeBasinManagementUnit,CaliforniaTahoeConservancy

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Restoration Planning Process (Steps in Flow Chart) Here,afewofthestepsintheflowchartthatwereamajorpartofthisrestorationarediscussed,formorespecificdetailsseeabovelinktotheProposedActionfortheUpperTruckeeRiver(SunsetReach).

1.Designation of Site as RiparianThisreachoftheUpperTruckeeRiverishistoricallycharacterizedbyalowerchannelgradientandbroaderfloodplain,withlargemeadowswithinreachofthegroundwatertable.Asaresultofchannelalterations,inmanylocationsthemeadowsarenolongerabletoreachthegroundwater.Currently,flowshighenoughtooverflow thebanksandconnect thechannel to thefloodplainand rechargegroundwateroccuraboutevery2to5years.Throughrestoration,flowsthroughthenewlyconstructedchannelsshouldoverflowonanaverageof1.4years,andsmaller,repositionedchannelsshouldsustaingroundwaterlevelsrequiredbymeadowspecies.Eventhoughthemeadowsareprimarilyconnectedtotheriverchannelthroughgroundwater, overflows are still necessary to their function. Themeadows floodplains within this reach areconsideredriparian.

2.Evaluation of Site Conditions: How river processes operate on the siteAerialphotographsoftheSunsetReachshowlargemeanderscarsthatdescribethehistoricsinuosityofthechannel. This reachof theUpperTruckeeRiver is lessconstrainedbyvalleywallswhichgive theriver space tomeander.When thematrixofvegetationon thesite isexamined, it canbeseen thatwetmeadowspeciesaredominantinlowerelevationreachesofoldchannels,whichareclosertogroundwater,whileshrubbyriparianspeciesarefoundalongrecentlydepositedpointbarsorrecentlyeroded,shallowstreambanks.Astherivermeanderedandleftolddepressionsbehindwheremeadowspeciesthrive,anddepositednewcoarsesedimentsthatfavorriparianshrubsandtrees,thematrixofvegetationgrewmorecomplicated.Aerialphotographsdocumentthechangestochannelmeanderandshapeasaresultofhumanactivities.Loggingpractices,grazingandagricultureinparticulardisruptedthesystembystraighteningthechannelandalteringflows.Straightenedchannelstendtobecomedeeperorwiderinordertocarrywaterandsediment loadsoverashorterdistance.Thisprocesscreatespositivefeedbackbecause theslopeofthechannelalsoincreaseswhichleadstoanincreaseinvelocityandfurthererosivepower.Theincisedchannelscarrywaterlowerrelativetothefloodplain,andtherootsofwetmeadowspeciescannotreachthegroundwater.Similarly,eventhougherodedbanksaretypicallycolonizedbyshrubbyspecies,ifthechannelistoodeeprelativetothebank,theshrubsdonotgetfloodedfrequentlyenoughtoestablish.Restorationatthisreachoftheriverwillinvolvecreationofanewchannelthatcanmeetthehydrologicneedsoftheriparianandmeadowspecies.Todeterminetheappropriatechannelwidthanddepth,streamgaugescanbeusedtodocumentcurrentbaseflowsandhighflows.RestorationistsdeterminedthatfortheSunsetReach,channelsneededtofloodanaverageof1.4yearswhenflowsreached450cubicfeetpersecond(cfs).

The history of sediment distribution across the floodplain is also reflected in thematrix of vegetation.Meadowspeciesaretypicallymoresuccessfulinfinersoilsrichinorganicmatter.Theseconditionsarefrequent in old channels where sediments were deposited in layers overtime. Shrubs however cannotcompetewiththefastgrowingherbaceousmeadowspeciesinthefinersoils,buttheycangrowfastthroughcoarsesoilsinopenareaswheretheirrootscanquicklyreachthewatertable.Withoutnaturalmeandertocreatecutoffbanksanddepositcoarsesedimentonpointbars,shrubspecieslosetheabilitytorecruit.Asthedeeperchannelisunabletooverflowitsbanks,meadowspeciesdonotreceivenutrientsattachedtofinesediments.Thenewlyconstructedchannelswillbesmallerandshallower.Thebankswillbereinforcedbyplantingriparianshrubspeciesalongthechannelbanks.Meanderintotheoldincisedchannelswillbediscouragedbyfillingthechannelsbutmaintainingalowdepressiontobeplantedwithmeadowspecies.Examinationofsedimentsizesinthealteredchannelsshowedhighlevelsofsandrelativetocoarsergrainspreferredbyfish.Inthenewchannels,coarsesedimentswillbeaddedtospecificallycontouredslopestocreatefishspawningandrearinghabitat.

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

3.Conceptual Model of Physical and Biological Successional TrajectoryAconceptualmodelofphysicalprocessesandplantsuccessionontheSunsetReachoftheUpperTruckeeRiverundertheinfluenceofalteredchannelsisusefultodeterminetheneedforrestoration,andtopredicttheoutcomeofconstructinganewchannel(Figure1).

Figure 1: Conceptual Model for Plant Succession on the Upper Truckee River: Influence of Eroding Channel Beds

DRAFT RIPARIAN RESTORATION DESIGN GUIDELINES 76River Partners 4/17/2009

Active Natural Channel

Point Bars Riparian shrubs

colonize

Old Channel Meadow species colonize

the depressions

Mixed riparian shrubs in matrix of meadow spp

IsolatedOld Channel

Meadow species decline Drier adapted herbaceous

plants colonize

Senescing MixedRiparian Shrubs Young shrubs unable

to recruit without overbank flow

Biological Succession Aggradation

Channel Movement

Disturbance

Figure 1: Conceptual Model for Plant Successionon the Upper Truckee River:

Influence of Eroding Channel Beds

Channel Reconstruction

Reconstruction

Cha

nnel

Mov

emen

t

IncisedErodingChannel

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

3. Ecological and Landscape Considerations of Riparian Plants

Table 1: ECOLOGICAL TOLERANCES OF RIPARIAN PLANT SPECIES

  HYDROLOGIC TOLERANCES

Species Water Table Required

Maximum Depth to Water Table

Tolerates Long Duration Flooding

Drought Recovery***

Black willow                 Salix gooddingii Yes 3 meters Yes Yes

Sandbar Willow                 Salix exigua Yes 2 meters Yes Yes

Arroyo willow                    Salix lasiolepis Yes 3 meters Moderate** Moderate

Red willow                      Salix lasiandra Yes 7 meters No No

Fremont Cottonwood Populus fremontii Yes 7 meters Yes Yes

Buttonbush             Cephalanthus occidentalis

Yes 3 meters Yes Yes

White alder                 Alnus rhombifolia Yes <1 meter No No

Western Sycamore Platanus racemosa Yes 7 meters No Yes

Oregon Ash              Fraxinus latifolia No Yes Yes

Box-Elder                    Acer negundo No No Yes

Valley Oak              Quercus lobata No Yes Yes

Blue Elderberry         Sambucus mexicana No No Yes

Coyote Brush           Baccharis pilularis No No Yes

Rose                            Rosa intermontana No Yes* Yes

Blackberry                  Rubus ursinus Yes 3 meters Yes* No

Creeping rye grass Leymus triticoides No Yes Yes

Basket sedge             Carex barbarae No Yes Yes

Mugwort              Artemisia douglasiana No No Yes

Gumplant               Grindelia camporum No   No Yes

*If top is above water, **many stump-sprout after top-death, ***Recovery after drought induced leaf-drop

California Riparian Habitat Restoration Handbook July 2009 Page ��

Table 2: RIPARIAN PLANT SPECIES ON THE LANDSCAPE

Species OPTIMAL LANDSCAPE SETTING USES BY WILDLIFE

Black willow               Salix gooddingii

Heavy clay soils; seasonal wetland basins; perimeter of permanent wetlands

Leaf insects

Sandbar Willow           Salix exigua Sandy soils; on point bars Allows other species to colonize inside 

stand due to more open canopyArroyo willow               Salix lasiolepis Loamy soils; upper bankfull flow Early spring source of leaf-insects

Red willow                  Salix lasiandra Upper floodplain; on tributaries Leaf insects

Fremont Cottonwood           Populus fremontii

Sandy and Loamy soils, lower floodplain Tall structure

Buttonbush         Cephalanthus occidentalis

Perimeter of Permanent wetland; freshwater tidal marsh (Delta) Nectar/pollen

White alder                  Alnus rhombifolia Edge of channel Source of insects to SRA

Sycamore                 Platanus racemosa Sandy loams; well-drained Denning/nesting cavities/heron rookery

Oregon Ash                 Fraxinus latifolia

Edge of channel; loamy soils in basins. Leaf insects

Box-Elder                      Acer negundo Mid to upper floodplain; loamy soils Leaf insects

Valley Oak                 Quercus lobata

Upper Floodplain; fine textured, well-drained soild during growing season

Leaf/bark insects/acorns

Blue Elderberry         Sambucus mexicana Loams on upper floodplain Host of VELB/pollen/nectar/fruit/

insectsCoyote Brush          Baccharis pilularis Upper floodplain Evergreen cover/pollen/nectar in Fall

Rose                             Rosa intermontana Thickets across floodplain Pollen/nectar/fruit/cover/important 

nesting siteBlackberry                   Rubus ursinus Thickets lower on floodplain Pollen/nectar/fruit/cover

Creeping rye grass Leymus triticoides Sun or shade across floodplain Sod-forming

Basket sedge            Carex barbarae Shade/frequently flooded Soil stabilization/”Fire cooler”*

Mugwort                  Artemesia douglasiana Sun; mineral soil Important for Cover/weed control

Gumplant                  Grindelia camporum Sun Pollen/nectar/large seeds

Individuals of all species can be found anywhere on the floodplain. This table describes conditions where the species dominates stands of vegetation and the resources they provide wildlife.  All plant species provide cover and nesting sites, and contribute organic matter into rivers.*Carex barbarae burns at a lower temperature than dry grass, resulting in survival of tree around which it grows.