By 2021, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) had installed 27 log jams along the Skookumchuck River. At a glance, large wood in the river may appear to impede the water and life within it. But these log jams actually have surprising benefits for aquatic species.
Engineered log jams create slower and faster water in different areas, which scours out deep pools and deposits gravel, providing areas where salmon and other aquatic species can lay eggs and hang out.
Juvenile salmon use pools, riffles and off-channel habitats to feed, grow and find refuge during floods. Large wood helps form these habitats for juvenile salmon — making it an important part of a healthy river system.
Source: WDFW Chehalis River Basin Strategy Manager Celina Abercrombie.
