Yes, Mikey, it is possible to

restore a stream to some of its

former glory!

J. Chris Hoag

Riparian Plant Ecologist

Hoag Riparian & Wetland Restoration, LLC

American Falls, Idaho

20001992

Flexible Stems &

Rhizomatous Root SystemsSmall to Medium

Shrubs

Large Shrubs &

Trees

Fox Creek

Teton County

Driggs, Idaho

Oct 2003

Idaho

Fox Creek

Teton County

Driggs, Idaho

Oct 2003

• Spring driven stream

• No real flooding

• Important cutthroat producing stream

• Dredged in the 1950’s

• spoil piles line the banks

• overwide so sediment not flushed

• Sed covers the spawning gravels

• No floodplain

• Woody vegetation removed by

agricultural practices

• Infested with Reed Canarygrass

Probably once

looked like this

Fox Creek, Teton County,

Driggs, Idaho Oct 2003

Fox Creek, Teton County,

Driggs, Idaho May 2004

Vertical bundles

Wetland sod

Pole cuttings

Willow clumps

Fox Creek, Teton County,

Driggs, Idaho Aug 2007 (3 yrs)

Wetland sod

Willow

Clumps

Fox Creek, Teton County,

Driggs, Idaho Aug 2008 (4 yrs)

Willow Clumps

• Sleep, Creep, Leap

• Planted 3-5 ft deep

• Avoid using clumpy soil to fill in around roots

(root to soil contact – no air pockets)

• Wash soil in around roots

Native Harvested Wetland Sod

• Superb treatment for toe zone

• Very dense root system

• Quick to reestablish

• Wetland plants will express themselves in wet

conditions

• Upland plants express themselves in dry

conditions

Pole cuttings

• 85% survival after 4 years

• 46-59 in leader growth

• Good soil to stem contact is critical

Trout Creek

South of

Jackpot, NV

May 1992

Nevada

Trout Creek

South of Jackpot, NV

May 1992

Trout Creek

South of Jackpot, NV

May 1992

Trout Creek

South of Jackpot, NV

August 1994 (2 yrs)

Trout Creek

South of Jackpot, NV

August 2007 (13 yrs)

Brush Mattress

• Difficult to establish correctly

• Labor and plant materials intensive

• Best results are on a 3:1 or flatter slope

• Soil to stem contact is critical for

establishment success

• Equal to 8 in rock riprap

• 5-13 years to establish well

Fascine

• Often installed too high or too low

• Toe protection is mainly wood

• Sprouting is spotty

• Poor establishment success

Glancy

Demonstration

Project

Carson River

Dayton, NV

November 1998

Nevada

Glancy

Demonstration

Project, Carson

River, Dayton, NV

November 1998

2002

2007

Glancy Demonstration Project,

Carson River, Dayton, NV

November 1998

WILLOW CLUMP

PLANTING

2007

2001

Glancy

Demonstration

Project, Carson River,

Dayton, NV

November 1998

Glancy Demonstration

Project, Carson River,

Dayton, NV

November 1998

July 2007

(9 yrs)

Vertical Bundles

• Inexpensive

• Easy to build

• Works well in fluctuating water levels

• Good soil to stem contact is critical

Brush Revetment

• One of the easiest and cheapest treatment

• Must plant live plants with it

• Provides velocity reduction, sedimentation, and protection

for establishing vegetation

• Correct installation is moderately difficult

Clump Plantings

• Best overall treatment

• Establish quickly

• Roots already there

• Provide excellent root binding capacity

• Above ground biomass provides velocity reduction,

sedimentation, and roughness

• Can be planted to the lowest water table

• Don’t cut the tops off too short

Ambrose Riparian

Restoration Project

Carson River

Carson City,

Nevada

October 2001

Nevada

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

August 2002

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

October 2002

November 2002

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

October 2002

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

March 2003

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

August 2003 (1 yr)

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

July 2007 (5 yrs)

Ambrose Riparian Restoration Project,

Carson River, Carson City, Nevada

July 2008 (6 yrs)

Brush spurs

• Easy to build

• Porous so no key trench needed

• Not permanent – use to establish vegetation

community

Live Willow Clumps

• Root mass planted over 4 ft deep

• Protected upper end of brush spur

• Cut off tops so they are above average water

level

Live cuttings or pole plantings

• Down to lowest water table of year (most

common cause of failure)

• Good soil to stem contact critical

• Fast, cheap, easy to plant

• Vigorous, healthy, ¾ inch dia. minimum

• More than one cutting to a hole

Grand Teton National Park

Snake River

Moose, WY

Oct. 2004

Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park

Snake River

Moose, WY

Oct. 2004

May 2005

GTNP, Moose, WY

July 2006

(14 months)

GTNP, Moose, WY

GTNP, Moose, WY June 2008 3 years

Stream deflectors

• Contractor used rocks that were too small

• Working better than expected

• Protected plants until they were established

• Still functioning to design specifications

• Alternative was 1800 ft of blanket rock riprap

Pole plantings, vertical bundles, brush mattress

• 90-95% establishment

• Excellent soil to stem contact

• Short growing season

• Heavy winter season with lots of snow

• Ice forms along banks in winter

• Human traffic was worse than moose

Brush Revetment

•Worked really well

•8-10 inches of sediment deposited around trees

•Wetland plants coming into new sediment

Questions?

How I lost my Job!J. Chris Hoag

Riparian Plant Ecologist

Hoag Riparian & Wetland Restoration,

LLC

2846 N. Pleasant Valley Road

American Falls, ID 83211

208-221-0944

email: jchris.hoag@gmail.com

http://www.plant-

materials.nrcs.usda.gov/idpmc