Case Studies Offer Insight into Fire Effects on Habitat Restoration Projects
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Authors: Tim Hanrahan (Rio ASE), Zach Sudman (Rio ASE), Mike Brunfelt (Inter-Fluve), Jaime Goode (Rio ASE), Pollyanna Lind (Inter-Fluve), & Gardner Johnston (Inter-Fluve)
Click here to view case study brief documents: Beaver Creek, Chewuch River, and Wolf Creek
Locations of Methow River Basin case studies.
Under current climate change trends, wildfire frequency, extent, and severity are all projected to increase throughout western North America. Case studies completed in the Methow River Basin provided insight into both direct fire impacts and potential indirect secondary post-fire impacts to fish habitat restoration projects in the Chewuch River and Beaver Creek. Observations were also made for Wolf Creek, a designated wilderness-area watershed relatively free of anthropogenic disturbances, including restoration projects.
The Chewuch River case study included fifteen restoration sites along seven river miles. The Beaver Creek case study included twelve restoration sites along one river mile, as well as observations along six river miles upstream and downstream of the restoration sites. The Wolf Creek case study included hillslope, floodplain, and river observations along four miles of valley within the Okanogan National Forest.
The lessons learned from these case studies help river restoration practitioners and stakeholders to understand the risks that wildfires pose to restoration projects and offer suggestions for mitigating those risks. Through more rigorous consideration of observed and projected climate and wildfire trends, stream restoration actions can become more resilient to the effects of wildfire. Habitat restoration projects can more effectively buffer some of the negative impacts of wildfire, contributing to proactive management strategies aimed at climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Debris flow in the Chewuch River after a fire.