Natural Riparian Resources

Landscape & Soil

Water

Vegetation

Riparian/Wetland Vegetation Groups

StabilizersIntermediateColonizersInvaders

Stabilizer group

Establish along streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, springs, & seepsStrong, fibrous, deep root systemRhizomatousProvide protection against water’s energy

Root Length

0

5

10

15

20

25

Miles

NebraskaSedge

Baltic Rush DouglasSedge

NevadaBluegrass

Column of soil12"X12"X16"

0 to 4 in4 to 8 in8 to 12 in12 to 16 in

Manning, M.E., et al, 1989

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

Pounds

NebraskaSedge

BalticRush

DouglasSedge

NevadaBluegrass

Column of soil12"X12"X16"

0 to 4 in4 to 8 in8 to 12 in12 to 16 in

Root Mass(Weight)

Sedges (Carex)

Leaves 3-ranked Stem TriangularSolid

“Sedges have edges”

Typical HabitatSaturated Soils

Beaked Sedge(Carex utriculata)Formerly(Carex rostrata)

Nebraska sedgeNebraska sedge((Carex nebrascensisCarex nebrascensis))Emery CreekEmery Creek

Panicled bulrush (Scirpus microcarpus)

Rushes (Juncus) “Rushes are Round”

Solid and Round or CompressedLeaves Alternate or2-Ranked

Baltic Rush or Wire Grass(Juncus balticus)

Typical Growth Pattern

Baltic Rush Baltic Rush RootsRoots

True Grasses

Leaves 2-ranked

Stem HollowWith

Nodes and Internodes

Fowl Manna Grass(Glyceria striata)

Blue Joint Reedgrass(Calamagrostis canadensis)

Reeds Reeds CanarygrassCanarygrass((Phalaris arundinaceaPhalaris arundinacea))Little Wood RiverLittle Wood River

Woody Species Woody Species (Willow, Alder, Birch, etc.)(Willow, Alder, Birch, etc.)

WillowWillow

BirchBirch

WillowWillow

Willow Roots

Red Osier Dogwood

Alder

Intermediate

Plants that are considered colonizers Establish on freshly deposited soil or

disturbed sitesHave intermediate root systemsCan result in proper functioning condition

Spike Rush(Eleocharis pauciflora)

Coyote (Sand Bar) Coyote (Sand Bar) Willow (Willow (Salix exiguaSalix exigua))Teton RiverTeton River

Arroyo Willow(Salix lasiolepis)

CottonwoodCottonwood((Populus sppPopulus spp.).)South Fork Snake South Fork Snake RiverRiver

Cottonwood Roots Cottonwood Roots (“rebar”)(“rebar”)

Colonizers

First to establish freshly deposited soil shallow open water barren areasRoot systems stoloniferous or rhizomatous shallow and relatively weak

Critical to recovery

Brook GrassBrook Grass((Catabrosia aquatica)Catabrosia aquatica)

Water-cress(Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum)

Short-awned Foxtail(Alopecurus arundinaceus)

Invaders

Replaces stabilizers species as a result of disturbance.Shallow, less massive root systemsLess protective of streambanks against water’s energyNoxious weeds

Kentucky Bluegrass Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa prentensis) (Poa prentensis) East Fork Castle CreekEast Fork Castle Creek

RedtopRedtop

((Agrostis gigenteaAgrostis gigentea) ) Formerly Formerly AA.. stoloniferstolonifer and and albaalba

Leafy SpurgeLeafy Spurge

Purple LoosestrifePurple Loosestrife

Standard Checklist (lotic)Yes No N/A VEGETATION

6) There is diverse age-class distribution of riparian-wetland vegetation (recruitment for maintenance/recovery)

Rationale:

7) There is diverse composition of riparian-wetland vegetation (for maintenance/recovery)

Rationale: 8) Species present indicate maintenance of riparian-wetland

soil moisture characteristics Rationale: 9) Streambank vegetation is comprised of those plants or

plant communities that have root masses capable of withstanding high streamflow events

Rationale: 10) Riparian-wetland plants exhibit high vigor Rationale

11) Adequate vegetative cover present to protect banks and dissipate energy during high flows

Rationale:

12) Plant communities are an adequate source of coarse and/or large woody material (for maintenance/recovery)

Rationale:

6) There is diverse age-class distribution of riparian-wetland vegetation (recruitment for

maintenance/recovery)Purpose: To determine if the number of age classes that provide recruitment to maintain an area or to allow an area to recover are present. Multiple age-classes usually indicate that riparian-wetland areas can recover or maintain themselves.

Need to determine if reach has potential for woody vegetation and if it is necessary for functionality

At least 2 age-classes should be present One of the age-class should be young Older age classes can persist in degraded conditions This is presence/absence issue, not an amount Closed canopy/late seral types may have limited age-

class diversity but still should have some

Wolf Creek Colorado – absolutely requires willow to function

Are there two or more age classes of stabilizer riparian/wetland species present within the riparian area?

Are there two or more age classes of stabilizer riparian/wetland species present within the riparian area?

Sufficient Herbaceous “Age-Class” Sufficient Herbaceous “Age-Class” Diversity – Nebraska sedgeDiversity – Nebraska sedge

Sufficient willow & herbaceous age-class diversity – Yes

“Yes” Sufficient willow age-class diversity – system “likely” needs willow & herbaceous veg to recover

““No” Insufficient willow age-class diversity No” Insufficient willow age-class diversity (all mature) system needs willow to function(all mature) system needs willow to function

“Yes” Sufficient age-class diversity – Narrowleaf Cottonwood (Populus

angustifolia)

7) There is diverse composition of riparian-wetland vegetation (for maintenance/recovery)

Purpose: To determine if the existing species composition is sufficient for maintenance or recovery. Diverse composition of riparian-wetland vegetation (relative to the site’s potential), is necessary to provide stability to the site. Not all species a site is capable of producing need to

be present, but more than two are common and required in most cases

This is a presence/absence question not amount At least stabilizing species present (upland plants do

not count) Addresses entire riparian area (not just

streambanks)

Are there at least two stabilizer riparian/wetland species present within the riparian area?

Are there at least two stabilizer riparian/wetland species present within the riparian area?

Are there at least two stabilizer riparian/wetland species present within the riparian area? There are two but dominated by one (CAAQ)

Castle Cr Utah – functioning well with Castle Cr Utah – functioning well with herbaceous species (2 species of sedge)herbaceous species (2 species of sedge)

“Yes” system needs to recover & has adequate R-W vegetation diversity to do it

“No” Species composition is JUBA and POPR (with some other UPL grasses)

20032003

Sand + Popr + Upland Grasses + JUBA patches = Vulnerability to rapid channel response

20052005

Purpose: To determine if the water table level is being maintained or raised as indicated by the presence of riparian-wetland vegetation. Maintenance of an existing water table or restoration of a former one is vital to the functionality of the system. Flow regime will dictate the kind and extent of

riparian-wetland plants – need to understand site potential

Obligate & Facultative Wetland plants must dominate the reach in order for a yes answer to be given

8) Species present indicate maintenance of riparian soil moisture

characteristics

Indicator CategoriesIn: National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands (USFWS) website -- http://www.nwi.fws.gov/bha/list88.html

Obligate Wetland (OBL): Occur almost always in wetlands.Facultative Wetland (FACW): Usually occur in wetlands but occasionally in nonwetlands.Facultative (FAC): Equally likely to occur in wetlands or nonwetlands.

Indicator Categories

Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occur in nonwetlands.Obligate Upland (UPL): Occur in wetlands in another region, but occur almost always in nonwetlands.

Coyote willow - (FACW)Coyote willow - (FACW)

Nebraska sedge - (OBL) Nebraska sedge - (OBL) ““Yes”Yes”

No, little or no OBL & FACW species present -- streambank is dominated by FAC & UPL plants

“No” – Stream incised/incising – water table being abandoned – OBL and FACW species being replaced by facultative species

Yes, species present indicate maintenance of riparian soil moisture characteristics at new elevation

Yellow willow

Scirpus

9) Streambank vegetation is comprised of those plants or plant communities that have root masses capable of withstanding high

stream flow eventsPurpose: To determine if the right kinds of plants or plant communities (deep rooted) occur on the streambank. Deep rooted plants are necessary for long-term streambank stability.

Streambank is the part of the channel between the scour line and the first terrace (usually “bankfull” elevation)

Not a quantity question per se Presence or absence

Most obligate wetland or facultative wetland plants have root masses that stabilize streambanks

Focus is on the streambank – are the streambanks comprised of at least patches of recognizable plant groupings?

Streambank

Base Flow

Bankfull

Streambank

Terrace Wall Valley Wall

Winward, 2000

Root Length

0

5

10

15

20

25

Miles

NebraskaSedge

Baltic Rush DouglasSedge

NevadaBluegrass

Column of soil12"X12"X16"

0 to 4 in4 to 8 in8 to 12 in12 to 16 in

Manning, M.E., et al, 1989

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

Pounds

NebraskaSedge

BalticRush

DouglasSedge

NevadaBluegrass

Column of soil12"X12"X16"

0 to 4 in4 to 8 in8 to 12 in12 to 16 in

Root Mass(Weight)

Channel Stability Rating (Vegetation)

0 2 4 6 8 10Relative Stability Class

Bare Ground

Willow-Sedge

Willow-Bluegrass

Beaked Sedge

Bluegrass

Baltic Rush

Anchored Rock

Coyote Willow

Winward 2000Appendix B

Adequate Root Strength

No, streambank is comprised of shallow rooted FAC & UPL species

Yes, streambank is comprised of stabilizers (Beaked sedge & Nebraska sedge)

No, although streambank is dominated by an obligate species (spikerush) but it is not a deep rooted stabilizer

Streambank comprised of stabilizers? Streambank comprised of stabilizers? YesYes

10) Riparian-wetland plants exhibit high vigor

Purpose: To determine if riparian-wetland plants are healthy and robust. Item is important but difficult to answer Look for obvious indicators of plant vigor

(plant growth form, leaf color, plant size, etc.)

Plant Vigor-Leaves and RootsCaring for the Green Zone, Riparian Areas and Grazing ManagementAlberta Riparian Habitat Management Project, “Cows and Fish Project”

Are the herbaceous stabilizer (late seral) species obvious individual plants? Are there new stabilizing herbaceous plants around the perimeter of the mat?

Low vigor of Nebraska Sedge

Yes, obviously high vigor (herbaceous & woody)

Low Plant Vigor (Arizona willow)Low Plant Vigor (Arizona willow)

11) Adequate riparian-wetland vegetative cover present to protect banks and dissipate energy during high flows

Purpose: To determine if there is an adequate amount of riparian-wetland vegetation cover. It is crucial for the banks to have enough R-W vegetation to be able to function properly. This item deals with amount while items 6-

10 deal with other aspects of vegetation

<0.5%

CB, BD

NonconsolidatedSl, C, S

GR, CB(or)

Consol.Sl, C, S

GroupI

(98+ %)

GroupIII

(90+ %)

GroupII

(90+ %)

GroupVII

(Uncommon)

(80+ %)

GroupVIII

(85+ %)

GroupV

(85+ %)

GroupIX

(95+ %)

GroupIV

(85+ %)

GroupVI

(80+ %)

GroupX

(98+ %)

GR, CB(or)

Consol.Sl, C, S

GR, CB(or)

Consol.Sl, C, S

CB(or)

Consol.Sl, C, S

NonconsolidatedSl, C, S

NonconsolidatedSl, C, S

NonconsolidatedSl, C, S

BD, Bedrock

Percent Stream Gradient

<2.0%

0.5-2.0%

2.0-4.0% >4.0%

4.0-10.0% 0.5-2.0%

Key to Greenline Riparian Capability Groups (Winword 2000)Percent gradient and substrate classes modified from Rosgen (1996).

Abbreviations Used:

Sl ......................Silt ...............................<0.02 mmC ......................Clay .............................0.02-0.05 mmS ......................Sand ...........................0.05-2.0 mmGR ...................Gravel .........................0.2-76 mm ....................08-3 inCB ...................Cobble .......................76-250 mm ..................3-9.8 inBD ...................Boulder ......................>250 mm ......................>9.8 inConsol. ...........Consolidated MaterialNon-Consol. ..Non-Consolidated Material

(Co Consolidated material refers to situations where at least one major soil horizon with within the root rooting zone consists of strongly compacted, cohesive, or Ce cemented particles.

Values in parentheses refer to percent of the greenline that should be represented by late seral community types or anchored rocks/logs when riparian areas fitting each capability group are functioning properly.

USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-47. 2000

No, inadequate amount of riparian-wetland vegetation cover

No, inadequate amount of riparian-wetland vegetation cover

Adequate amount of riparian-wetland Adequate amount of riparian-wetland vegetation cover “No”vegetation cover “No”

Yes, adequate amount of riparian-wetland vegetation cover

Adequate amount of R-W veg cover ? No – Adequate amount of R-W veg cover ? No – right bank is dominated by kentucky right bank is dominated by kentucky bluegrassbluegrass

Presence of riparian-wetland species Presence of riparian-wetland species (item 8)? Yes (CANE)(item 8)? Yes (CANE)

Streambanks comprised of stabilizing Streambanks comprised of stabilizing plants (item 9)? Yesplants (item 9)? Yes

12) Plant communities are an adequate source of coarse and/or large woody material (for maintenance/recovery)

Purpose: To determine if streamside trees are present in adequate amounts to be incorporated into the channel to aid in energy dissipation. First must determine if large wood is

necessary for functionality (many systems in the intermountain west do not require large wood for functionality)

Sufficiently large to act as a hydrologic modifier

Coarse/large wood is present and assisting in stream function but is it necessary for physical function?

Coarse/large wood is present and assisting in stream function but is it necessary for physical function?Hanna Creek, Black Hills

Natural Riparian Resources

VegetationLandscape/Soil

Water