A Brief Guide to Restoring Salmonid Habitat in Pacific Northwest Watersheds

Abstract

This fact sheet describes salmon restoration approaches in the Pacific Northwest. A recommended approach to restoration is to restore and manage watershed processes responsible for creating and maintaining habitat. This approach concentrates on diagnosing and treating causes of habitat degradation rather than the symptoms of habitat degradation. There are five steps in implementing this approach: 1. Estimate historical rates of habitat-forming processes. 2. Assess changes in rates of habitat-forming processes. 3. Identify restoration risks. 4. Evaluate effectiveness of restoration tasks. 5. Prioritize actions based on costs and potential for achieving the biological objective.