Forks Creek Reach-Level Large Wood Design

Our project provided a set of preliminary designs to implement 24 Large Wood Structures composed of 54 Root Wads and 54 Boulders for ballasts. The preliminary design strategically places these structures throughout 0.4 miles (2110 feet) of Forks Creeks’ lower reach. In addition, the project also produced a JARPA necessary for permitting. We also were able to coordinate and receive landowner agreements from all landowners with streambanks where designed LWD structures have been proposed.

Once the design has been implemented, the proposed structures will improve this Chinook, Chum, Steelhead and Coho spawning habitat by immediately introducing complexity to a severely incised river system and in the long-term collecting gravels and forcing pool formations.

We forwent the cultural resource process to free up additional time and funding for additional assessment and modeling of Forks Creeks’ remaining reach (715 additional feet). This change came with the realization that to better predict and minimize negative impacts to the downstream dairy farm stream bank and WDFW hatchery infrastructure, that an additional assessment and design effort would be warranted.

Provide a design that once implemented will improve Chinook, Chum, Steelhead and Coho spawning habitat by immediately introducing complexity to a severely incised river system and by collecting gravels and forcing pool formations in the long term.