Restoration & Rehabilitation

Terrestrial Activity Area Expectations

All restoration activities should be integrated within a watershed, and should be linked to strategic plans, sustainable forest management plans, and the Land Base Investment Rationale.

Expectations in this activity area are to:

• maximize effective and efficient restoration of domestic water quality/supply and fish and wildlife habitat values that have either been lost or damaged, or that are at a high risk of being damaged;
• hasten recovery of resource impacts. Restoration activities typically focus on altering the rates of processes that control the physical and biological structure and function of watersheds.  For example, road deactivation, landslide and gully rehabilitation projects should reduce the generation and delivery of sediments from hill slopes to stream channels and re-establish natural drainage patterns and water quality/supply;
• maintain, recruit or enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity; and
• re-establish natural ecosystem processes, especially in forest transition ecosystems, (e.g. fire controlled ecosystems and grasslands).

Areas of specific concern include:

Landslide and Gully Rehabilitation

Landslide rehabilitation may be required at active sites featuring characteristics such as failing headscarps or sidescarps, or where there is mobile slide debris, and where there is a high likelihood that continuing erosion of exposed soils and sediment transport will adversely affect environmental values (i.e., forest resources), private and public property, and other social and economic values.

Gully systems represent sites of active erosion and deposition associated with steep slopes.  Gully rehabilitation may be required where there is a high likelihood for initiation of a channelized debris flow or debris flood with high downslope consequences.

FIA funding will usually be restricted to:

• inventory assessment;
• prioritizing projects based on a risk assessment process;
• field assessment and prescription development for eligible landslide and gully sites;
• major works treatments; and
• follow-up inspections if necessary.

Common treatments for landslide rehabilitation often include headscarp stabilization, water management, seeding, and planting and soil bioengineering techniques.  Treatments for gully rehabilitation may include gully cleaning, slope stabilization in gully areas, active type mitigation structures (in special cases), and revegetation.

Treatments

The highest priority is to assess and treat forests affected by extensive fire, insect/disease attacks and or salvage harvesting operations.

LBI funding will be provided for developing site assessments/prescriptions and implementing treatments on forest land previously harvested or disturbed (ie, treatments not related to access structures).  Treatments include, but are not limited to, burning (prescribed fire), invasive species management/eradication, native grass/herbaceous seeding, planting native trees or shrubs, girdling, inoculation of potential wildlife trees, brushing, etc.  Restoration activities should be linked to sustainable forest management goals, and could be conducted on forest land or transition to grasslands within the working forest or protected areas.  Adaptive management is crucial to ensure effective investments.

Areas of specific concern include:

• maintaining forage for a longer period during early seral stage development;
• recruiting future ungulate winter range;
• managing invasive/alien species that are negatively impacting threatened/endangered habitats; and
• maintaining and restoring habitat elements for endangered and threatened species and ecosystems [e.g., developing Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHAs)].

The impact of fire control has widespread and profound effect on ecosystem functioning, forest health, and habitat development. LBI funding is provided for management unit studies to implement plan (e.g., Trench Ecosystem Restoration Plan) priorities with treatments such as thinning, piling, site preparation, burning, and monitoring.

Areas of specific concern include:

• communicating and developing support in the community for the use of fire;
• linking activities to initiatives funded from other sources (e.g., Columbia Basin Trust Fund); and
• ensuring the specific objectives for the treatments are met at a stand and landscape level.

Treatment Effectiveness Evaluations

Since the area of restoration is still relatively new, treatment effectiveness evaluations are critical to ensure that investments provide the expected results and benefits.  Recipients should develop effectiveness evaluation plans for watersheds that cover the range of treatments/activities and lead to improved planning, prescriptions and implementation of activities.