Calawah PWR Riparian Protection and Restoration

This proposal is the beginning stage of a coordinated watershed-scale effort to protect and restore salmon and steelhead habitat in the Calawah River watershed. The Calawah was selected by the lead entity as a priority watershed for intensive restoration under the Coast Salmon Partnership Prioritized Watershed Restoration (PWR) program. In addition to riparian restoration, the coordinated effort includes in-stream wood placement and road drainage and fish passage improvements. This proposed riparian restoration will improve riparian successional processes and protect aquatic ecosystem function and further restoration investments through treatment of invasive plants - targeting sources of seeds from roads which spread to the rivers via ditch water, wind, human and animal vectors - where they reduce native forest ecosystem services. The proposed work will conduct periodic surveys along 46 road miles within two Site Potential Tree Heights (SPTHs) of the river and floodplain, 128 miles of river, the lower extents of large tributaries and ~400 acres of floodplain complexes; will map and treat invasive plants and assess floodplain and riparian forests for thinning and/or forest interplanting for diversification of species. The interplanting will be followed up by partner Clallam Conservation District. Protecting native forest health from the deleterious impacts of non-native plants will protect continued restoration investments into salmon and steelhead habitat.

The overall project goal is to restore riparian and riverine habitat-forming processes that will sustain themselves during low and high flows. This project provides a strategy for sustained invasive plant prevention and control including partnering with the Clallam Conservation District for interplanting underrepresented overstory species of conifer and cottonweed in floodplains in priority areas. Goals: Restore and protect riparian forest successional processes. Protect and provide passive resiliency to aquatic ecosystem function. Protect and restore riparian ecosystem function and services. Eliminate road sources of invasive plants that move in flowing water, landslides, vehicles, and road construction and maintenance. Support enhanced carbon sequestration and water storage in soil and mature forest. Provide short- and long-term stability to passive forest services to continue to provide large stable wood to the river for pools, food webs, shade, and connectivity to off-channel and hyporheic flow.