Design Criteria for Process-Based Restoration of Fluvial Systems

Ciotti, D.; McKee, J.S.; Pope, Karen L.; Kondolf, G. Mathias; Pollock, Michael M.

doi:10.1093/biosci/biab065

Cited by 52 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Our results contrast, however, with results reported from some western North American studies, where decreased maximum summer stream temperatures have been observed below beaver ponds (Dittbrenner, 2019; Weber et al, 2017, but see Jones et al, 2018). The divergent findings from these studies likely point to a host of context‐specific or contingent outcomes that may be expected from beaver‐constructed ponds on streams (Ciotti et al, 2021; Nash et al, 2021; Pilliod et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…North American beaver (Castor canadensis) are considered ecosystem engineers because they can fundamentally transform stream and riparian ecosystems through a number of their activities, most notably, creating ponds by building dams and impounding water (Jones et al, 1996;Larsen et al, 2021;Wright et al, 2002). These attributes have inspired much interest in the potential for beaver to play a role in process-based stream restoration (Ciotti et al, 2021;Johnson et al, 2020;Pollock et al, 2015). This approach is often termed 'beaverrelated restoration' or BRR.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dammed water quality—Longitudinal stream responses below beaver ponds in the Umpqua River Basin, Oregon

et al. 2022

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Beaver‐related restoration (BRR) has gained popularity as a means of improving stream ecosystems, but the effects are not fully understood. Studies of dissolved oxygen (DO) and water temperature, key water quality metrics for salmonids, have demonstrated improved conditions in some cases, but warming and decreased DO have been more commonly reported in meta‐analyses. These results point to the contingencies that can influence outcomes from BRR. We examined water quality related to beaver ponds in a diverse coastal watershed (Umpqua River Basin, OR, USA). We monitored water temperature 0–400 m above and below beaver ponds and at pond surfaces and bottoms across seven study sites from June through September of 2019. DO was also recorded at two sites at pond surfaces and pond bottoms. Downstream monthly mean daily maximum temperatures were warmer than upstream reference locations by up to 1.9°C at beaver dam outlets but this heating signal attenuated with downstream distance. Downstream warming was greatest in June and July and best predicted by pond bottom temperatures. DO at pond surfaces and bottoms were hypoxic (≤5 mg/L) for more than half of the 32‐day monitoring period. Water temperatures increased for short distances below monitored beaver ponds and observed oxygen conditions within ponds were largely unsuitable for salmonid fishes. These findings contrast with some commonly stated expectations of BRR, and we recommend that managers consider these expectations prior to implementation. In some cases, project goals may override water quality concerns but in streams where temperature or DO restoration are objectives, managers may consider using BRR techniques with caution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dammed water quality—Longitudinal stream responses below beaver ponds in the Umpqua River Basin, Oregon

et al. 2022

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“…In many parts of the world, and for far too long, river restoration and rehabilitation has been carried out at the reach-scale and in an ad-hoc manner, treating reaches in isolation, and independent of their position in catchment [ 66 , 67 ]. A shift to a more systemic approach to management of fluvial corridors and river systems, incorporates both local and catchment scale (or larger scale, region, State or National) rehabilitation decision-making, and is situated in the context of nature-based and process-based solutions [ 68 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying corridors of river recovery in coastal NSW Australia, for use in river management decision support and prioritisation systems

Agnew

Fryirs

2022

PLoS ONE

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By connecting corridors of river recovery, resilience can be built into river systems to mitigate against future floods and droughts driven by anthropogenic disturbance or climate extremes. However, identifying where these corridors can be built is still lacking in river management practice. The Open Access NSW River Styles database contains comprehensive information on geomorphic river condition and recovery potential. The database can be used to systematically analyse where corridors of river recovery could be created via conservation or rehabilitation. Analysis was undertaken in ArcGIS using the recovery potential layer along 84,342 km of freshwater stream length, across 20 catchments of coastal NSW. We identified 4,905 km of reach connections, defined as an upstream to downstream section of river that is connected end-to-end, and 17,429 km of loci connections defined as more isolated sections of river from which recovery can be seeded and extended into adjacent reaches. There was significant spatial variability in the types and lengths of connections made across the catchments. Some catchments have significant potential to build corridors of recovery along large sections of river, whereas other catchments are more fragmented. These results provide practitioners with a user-friendly distillation of where river conservation and rehabilitation activities could be focussed when working with river recovery in practice. Combined with local on-ground knowledge, this information forms an important input to evidence-based prioritisation and decision making in river management.

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“…Geomorphic heterogeneity metrics pair well with descriptors of process space, utilization of process space, and geomorphic trajectory. Confinement, or process space (sensu Ciotti et al, 2021) describes the proportion of the valley bottom the river can actively reshape (e.g., a ratio of non-terrace to total valley bottom area). Process space utilization is the degree to which the river is actively reshaping the space available to it (e.g., the proportion of the channel and floodplain area occupied by channels either at a given time or cumulatively over a period of time).…”

Section: Contextualizing Geomorphic Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Refining Geomorphic Heterogeneity as a Framework for Assessing River Corridor Processes and Characteristics

Scott

Shahverdian

Flitcroft

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Heterogeneity, or messiness, is a broadly desirable characteristic of river corridors and an indicator of many of the geomorphic processes that sustain fluvial ecosystems. However, quantifying geomorphic heterogeneity is complicated by a lack of consistent metrics, methods of dividing up the river corridor into the patches that form the basis for those metrics, and guidance on interpreting metrics. Drawing from both geomorphic and landscape ecology concepts, we offer ideas and guidance intended to help investigators, from researchers to restoration practitioners, more effectively and reliably use heterogeneity to describe river corridor processes and characteristics. We define geomorphic heterogeneity as having both a spatial and temporal dimension. Spatially, heterogeneity can be described by diversity, or the evenness and richness of geomorphic units, and spatial configuration, or the arrangement of geomorphic units relative to one another. Temporally, heterogeneity can be described by turnover rate, or the rate of change of geomorphic units. Interpretation of heterogeneity metrics depends integrally on the definition of the geomorphic unit schema on which metrics are based. Contextual information, such as measurements of process space, disturbance frequency, and geomorphic trajectory, can also be key to using effective measurements of heterogeneity. Geomorphic applications of heterogeneity require carefully defined geomorphic unit schemas that reflect processes and characteristics of interest, robust metrics of heterogeneity whose meaning is appropriate to the question at hand, and interpretation of those metrics based on the context of expected geomorphic processes and the frequency of disturbance.

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Design Criteria for Process-Based Restoration of Fluvial Systems

Cited by 52 publications

References 49 publications

Dammed water quality—Longitudinal stream responses below beaver ponds in the Umpqua River Basin, Oregon

Dammed water quality—Longitudinal stream responses below beaver ponds in the Umpqua River Basin, Oregon

Identifying corridors of river recovery in coastal NSW Australia, for use in river management decision support and prioritisation systems

Refining Geomorphic Heterogeneity as a Framework for Assessing River Corridor Processes and Characteristics

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