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much greater b«low the forest. This will be esepanded 

 upon below. 



lb. Primary ehinook aad echo salmon habitat historically 

 was below the present day forest. Chinook salmon 

 habitat was and is in the floodplain, most of which is 

 below the forest. Prijnary coho sednon h2ibitat was aad 

 is just below and somewhat into the forest (below the 3 

 percent landscape gradient), important summer and 

 critical overwintering echo salmon habitat is in the 

 floodplain, mostly below the forest, in large deep 

 pools and in off channel areas that flood in winter. 

 These critical winter areas are also important for 

 steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout for refuges from 

 winter storm runoff conditions. Local flood control 

 projects, agricultural land reclamation, and urban 

 growth have very much impacted these important summer 

 rearing and critical winter refuge habitats. 

 Downstream human activity has contributed much more 

 sediment on a unit acreage basis and has seriously 

 aggravated flood runoff conditions than has forest 

 activities. Water diversions have seriously reduced 

 summer flows. 



2. Salmonid habitat in old growth area streams generally 

 is in relatively very good condition. The quality of 

 specific streams vsuries with natural conditions and 

 events. This is the standard by which we evaluate 

 other forest stream habitats. However, old growth area 

 headwater streauns have a limited productivity potentieil 

 for salmonids. Stream area is low, stream gradients 

 are high, deep large pools are scarce, summer flows are 

 often low, and biological food chain production is 

 relatively low. Headwater streams ax@ primarily 

 habitat for resident cutthroat trout and to a lesser 

 degree steelhead trout. Some coho salmon do use 

 headwater stream areas but this really is secondary 

 habitat with limited potential for them. 



3. Heavy logging practices in the past did damage fish 

 habitat. Fishery and land management agencies required 

 the removal of large woody debris from and along 

 streams in the late 1960s, 1970s and even into the 

 early 1980s- Equipment operated in and adjacent to 

 streams and streamside trees were harvested. Road 

 construction and maintenance standards were not 

 prescribed or were not generally routinely engineered. 

 Present practices reflect the lessons of the past and 

 the knowledge we have gad.ned with time and experience. 

 Present stream and soil protection measures are 

 designed to protect and even restore stream habitats. 

 One needs to carefully separate past practices and 



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