FY2011 Nooksack Tribe Salmon Recovery Project Implementation

This project funded: (1) acquisition and delivery of logs and other woody material for priority projects in the North Fork (NF) and South Fork (SF) of the Nooksack River; and (2) maintenance of riparian plantings and/or control of Japanese knotweed in 24.9 acres of NF and SF Nooksack River riparian habitat.
Tribal staff developed requests for quotations, selected successful bidders, and managed contracts for the supply and delivery of logs and other woody material for engineered log jams constructed as part of the following projects: (1) SF Nooksack Downstream of Hutchinson Reach Phase 2 Restoration (summer 2014); and (2) NF Farmhouse Reach Phase 1 and Phase 2A Restoration (summer 2014 and summer 2015, respectively). Specifically, 144 logs with rootwads and 105 logs without rootwads, 1682 pieces of racking (i.e. small-diameter logs), and 1060 cubic yards of slash were supplied and delivered to project sites. Another 30 logs without rootwads, including 8 logs that had been previously purchased and staged offsite and 22 large-diameter logs donated by the U.S. Forest Service, were delivered to project sites. Typically, the timing of funding acquisition for project implementation limits procurement of logs to the months just prior to log jam construction. Establishing a source of funding for logs for multiple unspecified projects increased efficiency and reduced costs.
Although placement of log jams to address limiting factors is the highest priority restoration action in the Nooksack River watershed in the near term, restoring riparian areas is an important long-term strategy, as mature riparian forests will supply the large wood that will form jams in the future. Project funding often covers planting and the first one to two years of maintenance, but crews maintain planted areas for up to three to four years to ensure survival targets are met (typically 80%). This project supported maintenance of riparian plantings (clearing invasive vegetation and/or replace dead trees) at four worksites along the South Fork Nooksack River: (1) SF Van Zandt reach (0.77 acres); (2) SF Todd Creek reach (0.26 acres); (3) SF 1000 Puddles reach (11.6 acres); and (4) SF Kalsbeek reach (9.9 acres). The project also supported initial knotweed control efforts at three worksites along the South Fork Nooksack River: (1) SF Kalsbeek reach (2.6 acres); (2) SF Todd Creek reach (0.31 acres); and (3) SF Downstream of Hutchinson reach (2.34 acres). There was an increase in scope and cost to the project relative to proposed, as we responded to the current maintenance needs at the sites. This was especially true at the SF 1000 Puddles site where we experienced higher mortality of planted conifers than anticipated, likely due to localized soil conditions. Species were selected during replanting to account for soil conditions.

The project will fund acquisition and delivery of approximately 170 logs with rootwads for use in high priority log jam projects in the North Fork and South Fork Nooksack River. The North and South Forks of the Nooksack River are the highest priority for habitat restoration to recover North Fork/Middle Fork Nooksack early chinook and South Fork Nooksack early chinook. Projects are designed to address the habitat factors most limiting chinook; specific objectives include: (1) increase quantity and quality (depth, size, cover) of pools in the South Fork Nooksack River for adult holding and juvenile rearing; and (2) restore stable spawning habitats in the North Fork Nooksack River.
Other salmonids that use the project reaches will also benefit, including ESA-listed bull trout and steelhead, as well as coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon and cutthroat trout.

The project will also fund restoration of 50 acres of riparian forest, including 40 acres of interplanting and 10 acres of invasives control. Such actions will set the treated areas on a trajectory to recovery of full riparian function, including shading, bank stability, and wood recruitment.