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EMBEDDEDNESS OF SALMONID HABITAT OF SELECTED STREAMS ON THE PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST, 1987-1988
Description:
Comparison of fish habitat condition among various locations within the Payette National Forest (17060206, 17060208) is necessary in order to evaluate past and present activities and to facilitate development of future management objectives for aquatic ecosystems. The single most significant element of fish habitat management during recent history has been development of objectives for limiting deposition of fine sediment. Four environmental impact statements within the forest during the past 12 years have all dealt with the impact of sediment on fish habitat as a major issue. The Payette National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan outlines an expanded habitat monitoring effort, especially in the South Fork Salmon River drainage which has been identified as an area of special concern. Embeddedness has been used an indicator of salmonid habitat quality on Payette National Forest since 1983. There were no large changes in embeddedness in 1987 or 1988. With the exception of a few locations, the overall trend was a slight increase in embeddedness, but within the range of usual variation. Below average precipitation in 1988 may have produced insufficient flows for flushing the sediment. Ries, R.D. and D.C. Burns. 1989. Payette National Forest, McCall, ID. 36 pp.