Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity
Fluvial processes such as flooding and sediment deposition play a crucial role in structuring riparian plant communities. In rivers throughout the world, these processes have been altered by channelization and other anthropogenic stresses. Yet despite increasing awareness of the need to restore natu...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Western CEDAR
2007
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://cedar.wwu.edu/esci_facpubs/17 https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=esci_facpubs |
id |
ftwestwashington:oai:cedar.wwu.edu:esci_facpubs-1016 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftwestwashington:oai:cedar.wwu.edu:esci_facpubs-1016 2023-05-15T17:44:44+02:00 Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity Helfield, James M. Capon, Samantha Nilsson, Christer Jansson, Roland Palm, Daniel 2007-04-01T07:00:00Z application/pdf https://cedar.wwu.edu/esci_facpubs/17 https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=esci_facpubs English eng Western CEDAR https://cedar.wwu.edu/esci_facpubs/17 https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=esci_facpubs Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications Biodiversity Boreal Flooding Fluvial disturbance Forest River Timber floating Vegetation Environmental Sciences text 2007 ftwestwashington 2022-09-14T05:56:51Z Fluvial processes such as flooding and sediment deposition play a crucial role in structuring riparian plant communities. In rivers throughout the world, these processes have been altered by channelization and other anthropogenic stresses. Yet despite increasing awareness of the need to restore natural flow regimes for the preservation of riparian biodiversity, few studies have examined the effects of river restoration on riparian ecosystems. In this study, we examined the effects of restoration in the Ume River system, northern Sweden, where tributaries were channelized to facilitate timber floating in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Restoration at these sites involved the use of heavy machinery to replace instream boulders and remove floatway structures that had previously lined stream banks and cut off secondary channels. We compared riparian plant communities along channelized stream reaches with those along reaches that had been restored 3-10 years prior to observation. Species richness and evenness were significantly increased at restored sites, as were floodplain inundation frequencies. These findings demonstrate how river restoration and associated changes in fluvial disturbance regimes can enhance riparian biodiversity. Given that riparian ecosystems tend to support a disproportionate share of regional species pools, these findings have potentially broad implications for biodiversity conservation at regional or landscape scales. Text Northern Sweden Western Washington University: CEDAR (Contributing to Education through Digital Access to Research) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Western Washington University: CEDAR (Contributing to Education through Digital Access to Research) |
op_collection_id |
ftwestwashington |
language |
English |
topic |
Biodiversity Boreal Flooding Fluvial disturbance Forest River Timber floating Vegetation Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Biodiversity Boreal Flooding Fluvial disturbance Forest River Timber floating Vegetation Environmental Sciences Helfield, James M. Capon, Samantha Nilsson, Christer Jansson, Roland Palm, Daniel Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity |
topic_facet |
Biodiversity Boreal Flooding Fluvial disturbance Forest River Timber floating Vegetation Environmental Sciences |
description |
Fluvial processes such as flooding and sediment deposition play a crucial role in structuring riparian plant communities. In rivers throughout the world, these processes have been altered by channelization and other anthropogenic stresses. Yet despite increasing awareness of the need to restore natural flow regimes for the preservation of riparian biodiversity, few studies have examined the effects of river restoration on riparian ecosystems. In this study, we examined the effects of restoration in the Ume River system, northern Sweden, where tributaries were channelized to facilitate timber floating in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Restoration at these sites involved the use of heavy machinery to replace instream boulders and remove floatway structures that had previously lined stream banks and cut off secondary channels. We compared riparian plant communities along channelized stream reaches with those along reaches that had been restored 3-10 years prior to observation. Species richness and evenness were significantly increased at restored sites, as were floodplain inundation frequencies. These findings demonstrate how river restoration and associated changes in fluvial disturbance regimes can enhance riparian biodiversity. Given that riparian ecosystems tend to support a disproportionate share of regional species pools, these findings have potentially broad implications for biodiversity conservation at regional or landscape scales. |
format |
Text |
author |
Helfield, James M. Capon, Samantha Nilsson, Christer Jansson, Roland Palm, Daniel |
author_facet |
Helfield, James M. Capon, Samantha Nilsson, Christer Jansson, Roland Palm, Daniel |
author_sort |
Helfield, James M. |
title |
Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity |
title_short |
Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity |
title_full |
Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity |
title_fullStr |
Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Restoration of Rivers Used for Timber Floating: Effects on Riparian Plant Diversity |
title_sort |
restoration of rivers used for timber floating: effects on riparian plant diversity |
publisher |
Western CEDAR |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
https://cedar.wwu.edu/esci_facpubs/17 https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=esci_facpubs |
genre |
Northern Sweden |
genre_facet |
Northern Sweden |
op_source |
Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications |
op_relation |
https://cedar.wwu.edu/esci_facpubs/17 https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=esci_facpubs |
_version_ |
1766147016212086784 |