Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Hutchinson, JJ. 2011. Monitoring riparian restoration: Lessons learned in Clayoquot Sound. MSc Thesis, Royal Roads University. |
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| Organization | Royal Roads University |
| URL | http://clayoquot.org/sites/default/files/content-documents/Thesis%20Jessica%20Jean%20Hutchinson.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Old-growth riparian forests have been extensively logged and are increasingly the focus of restoration. While there are thousands of restoration initiatives annually, very few are conducted as scientific experiments necessary to develop adaptive management in restoration ecology. Systematic evaluation of restoration prescriptions and effective monitoring measures are needed. In 2010, a riparian restoration project was completed in the Kennedy Flats Watershed in the Clayoquot Sound. The prescribed treatments were designed to accelerate natural seral stage development by accelerating conifer succession, increasing structural complexity, species diversity and composition. Three vegetation types were evaluated, a post-harvest deciduous-dominated site and conifer-dominated site with high stocking densities, and an intact old-growth cedar-hemlock forest control. Although the short-term responses to the restoration treatments were minimal, important ecological differences between the three habitat types were identified. These evaluations have led to a series of recommendations to improve restoration prescriptions and monitoring programs for each habitat type. |
| Information Type | thesis |
| Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island North |
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| Project status | complete |
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