White River Large Wood Atonement

The objective of the White River Large Wood Atonement project was to accelerate floodplain recovery and enhance instream function in the lower White River. This project improved habitat for all salmonids that utilize the lower White River, including: spring Chinook, steelhead, sockeye, and bull trout throughout the 2.75 mi. treatment reach. This was accomplished by installing vertical LWD pieces in specific locations where it is expected to collect and retain more wood that is currently floated through the system. These structures are intended to accumulate logs which are currently not large enough to be persistent on their own due to extensive 20th century logging in the riparian zone and log drives which removed most of the large instream log jams. Retaining more LWD will increase local bed elevations, increase channel dynamics, and provide more extensive, complex instream habitat. The entire reach is currently owned by WDFW and the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust and is managed for conservation purposes. Because of the sensitive and unroaded character of this reach, we used techniques that have minimal construction impact and like the original logging operations, utilized the river for equipment and log transport. The lower White River is a Category 1 watershed and is a major spawning area for spring Chinook and steelhead while also being a core area for bull trout.

The goal of the White River Large Wood Atonement project is to increase retention and persistence of mobile wood (RM 2.6 – 4.2), to enhance instream habitat and improve adult holding and juvenile rearing for native salmonids.