As part of any restoration project we (MCWC) do, monitoring work ensures that actions taken are achieving the desired goals. Last week, Mid Coast Watershed Council (MCWC ) staff revisited a 2016 planting project on the North Fork Yachats River. This site is alder-dominated, and the lack of native conifer species in the canopy meant that long-term sources of shade and large woody debris were not being delivered to the river, limiting its ability to support salmon and other species.
To give the new plantings a jump start while also providing bird habitat, select alders were girdled at the same time. As a result, many of the planted saplings have grown from 3 ft to up to 12 ft tall. We are excited to see them well on their way to providing watershed benefits. Other, unexpected findings revealed on the visit were the presence of three functioning beaver dams on the river, as well as a small bed of freshwater mussels.
Information and photo provided by mcwc