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A Screening Procedure for Prioritizing Riparian Management

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Abstract

A spatially explicit linear, additive model was developed for quantifying site characteristics of riparian areas of the lower Cedar River, Washington, USA. The spatial complexity and distribution of combined habitat and anthropogenic landscape features were used to define habitat “indices” that indicate the relative quality of riparian habitats. Patches of contiguous grid cells were measured in terms of their locations, sizes, and relative degree of fragmentation. Additionally, intrapatch heterogeneity was measured to identify unique combinations of habitat and anthropogenic factors for individual grid cells within patches. Model verification indicated that existing floodplain riparian habitats received positive indices more than 90% of the time. Mean patch sizes and fragmentation indices were similar for all positive indices throughout the reaches in the valley floor. Among all reaches, reach 7 had the highest number of positive patches due to a higher degree of meandering in this reach. This procedure and model outputs provide unique screening opportunities for prioritizing management of riparian areas (e.g., conservation, restoration and enhancement).

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Science To Achieve Results (STAR) program, Washington DC, EPA grant R827149-01-0. In addition, we would like to thank Lauren Alexander and Jeff Kershner for formally reviewing the manuscript and providing many helpful suggestions. Julie Hall, Michele Koehler, Josh Latterell, Deron Lawrence, Miles Logsdon, Laura Rattner, and Kathryn Sobocinski provided additional reviews and important criticisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UW- Fishery Sciences Building, Box 355020 Seattle, Washington 98195-5020, USA

    Raymond K. Timm & Robert C. Wissmar

  2. Anchor Environmental, L.L.C., 1423 3rd Avenue, Suite 300 Seattle, Washington 98101-2226, USA

    John W. Small

  3. UW - School of Marine Affairs, 3707 Brooklyn Ave NE Seattle, Washington 98105-6715, USA

    Thomas M. Leschine

  4. King County Water and Land Resources Division, 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 600 Seattle, Washington 98104-3855, USA

    Gino Lucchetti

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  1. Raymond K. Timm
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  2. Robert C. Wissmar
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  3. John W. Small
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  4. Thomas M. Leschine
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  5. Gino Lucchetti
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Correspondence to Raymond K. Timm.

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Timm, R., Wissmar, R., Small, J. et al. A Screening Procedure for Prioritizing Riparian Management . Environmental Management 33, 151–161 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-003-2980-z

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