RIPARIAN SILVICULTURAL SYSTEM-DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT IN THE PACIFIC-NORTHWEST CASCADE MOUNTAINS, USA

Active management of riparian zones can be economically as well as ecologically beneficial. Restoration of riparian forests is simulated with forest growth models. Logs were generated using the model to be of sufficient size to resist annual hoods in salmon habitat streams on the west side of the Pacific Northwest Cascade mountains. The economic feasibility is reported at real interest rates. Economic viability depends on the initial volume removed, costs of regeneration and monitoring, volume of thinnings, and interest rate. Harvest operations allow for the restoration of forest structure and composition that is beneficial for salmonid habitat in areas where the primary forest has been replaced with early seral hardwood species and fiercely competitive shrubs. This silvicultural system restores natural functions of riparian forests of watersheds in the Pacific Northwest.