Along Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, NOAA and the Quinault Indian Nation are working together to restore one of the region’s most important salmon rivers. For the Quinault people, salmon are more than a resource: they are central to their culture and livelihood. As salmon populations decline, so does the foundation of that heritage. This partnership is built on a shared commitment: to heal the Upper Quinault River and rebuild “blueback” sockeye salmon stocks.
Large, old-growth trees once dominated the landscape. When they fell into the water, they stabilized the river and created habitat for adult salmon to build nests and juveniles to grow. Historic logging removed the massive old-growth trees. Today, the Tribe is constructing large engineered log jams that mimic natural processes.
With funds from NOAA and other sources, the Quinault Indian Nation has:
- Installed 117 engineered log jams
- Protected 184 acres of high-quality floodplain and 5.5 miles of side-channel habitat
- Established 91 new acres of floodplain
- Planted 924 acres of Sitka spruce along the valley bottom
Floodplains and side channels are essential to salmon because they provide refuges from the fast-moving main river channel. Heavy winter flows on the main river channel can wash salmon eggs and juvenile salmon downstream before they are ready to transition to the ocean. Large wood also induces gravel deposition for spawning and forms deeper pools with cooler water. Juvenile salmon can seek thermal refuge there from elevated summer water temperatures. Over time, the restored Sitka spruce forest will be able to restart the natural large wood cycle.
