Extract from an article by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI)
New IFI project to help salmon and trout live in trees!
Inland Fisheries Ireland(IFI) scientists are replicating natural wood structures in Irish rivers to help nurture salmon, trout, and lamprey.
The wood used is sourced from near rivers and includes trees that have fallen close to the channel, diseased trees expected to fall, and non-native species growing along the banks.
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“It will also highlight potential conflicts between ‘messy’ ecologically-healthy rivers and the poor quality habitat found in straight, tidy channels created by human engineering.”
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Project locations include rivers in Dublin, Meath and Wicklow, tributaries of Lough Corrib in Co. Galway, and the Ballisodare river in Co. Sligo.
IFI, in partnership with Coillte, has already completed habitat restoration works in the River Vartry, Devils Glen, Co. Wicklow, and on a tributary of the River Boyne, Co. Meath.
The target rivers are home to important populations of brown and sea trout, salmon and lamprey.
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In their natural state, many rivers are bordered by forests that deliver large amounts of woody material into the channel as fallen trees.
This in turn shapes diverse habitats, resulting in high biodiversity and resilience to disturbance
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The RiverWood project aims to quantify the role of large wood in the provision of complex habitat and other services and to provide an evidence base for the protection and restoration of rivers in Ireland.
Great to see IFI and other organisations starting to return more to nature-based solutions allowing nature to heal itself over time.
Other research links
Managing woody debris – Habitat Management Sheets by WTT
Managing Woody Debris in Rivers, Streams & Floodplains by RRC
English
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