Helicopters have hauled bundles of logs out of the Northwest woods for decades. But the process reversed Thursday as part of a project to restore salmon runs in a creek 20 miles west of Longview.
Throughout the day, a Vertol 107 helicopter buzzed above tree canopies, toting logs that had been cut a few miles away and flying them to Abernathy and Cameron creeks.
Douglas firs, many with roots and branches still attached, dangled from a 250-foot line. More than 200 pilings and 160 logs were transported throughout the day, said Eli Asher, restoration ecologist for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
The trees were placed in the creeks several hundred yards from where they spill into the Columbia River to create engineered logjams.
The purpose of the man-made log piles is to create a more diverse habitat for fish and provide them refuge from predators. Years ago, old-growth Douglas fir served that purpose, but intensive logging has removed most of those big trees from watersheds, leaving streams short of so-called “woody debris” that is an important part of the stream and fish ecology.
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“It is a functional, structural element of these streams,” Asher said.
Placing logs in Abernathy Creek is part of an ongoing effort called the Intensively Monitored Watershed (IMW) project. It is a joint effort among the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology; NOAA Fisheries; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe; and Weyerhaeuser Co. It’s intended to study the effectiveness of restoration work so it can be applied elsewhere.
The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board funds the projects, which include planting trees and shrubs along streams, removing fish passage barriers and reconnecting streams to flood plains. It’s turned other parts of Abernathy Creek into healthy habitat, where the creek meanders over gravel deposits and tangles of trees. There are shallow spots for salmon to spawn and deep pools to escape predators.
The log project along Abernathy and Cameron creeks is costing $400,000 — which includes Thursday’s effort and future work to secure the logs. It will also cover the cost of replanting creek-side vegetation that may be affected by equipment used to secure the logs.
Asher said projects will continue through 2018. Afterward, researchers will collect data over those next five years to determine whether the projects have successfully restored the habitat.
The placement of log jams is important to fish salmon and steelhead because the trees create diversity for the creek, Asher said. Engineered jams alter the flow of water. As a result, gravel and stones are deposited in different areas, and portions of the creek become deeper. That variety creates a healthy habitat for fish to spawn, eat and hide from predators.
Asher said bolstering the habitat is especially important to the Cowlitz tribe.
“From the tribe’s perspective, salmon are important to their cultural identity,” he said.
He also cited a personal reason: “I have a ... daughter, and I want her to be able to fish for salmon when she’s my age.”
Taylor Aalvik, director of the Cowlitz Tribe’s Natural Resources Department and member of Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, said Thursday that restoring the creek is a priority for the tribe.
“It’s part of our heritage,” he said. “It’s part of our background. It’s our food. I think being part of it is an obligation. Taking care of their world is an obligation for us.”
