HABITAT CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESORATION OF ENTRENCHED, SAND AND CLAY BASED CHANNELS IMPACTED BY CATTLE GRAZING.

W.R. English¹, K.M. Young¹, J.W. Pike¹, C.S. Nickel¹, and A.G. Eversole². ¹Department of Forest Resources, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, ²Department of Aquaculture, Fisheries and Wildlife, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

An entrenched (G-6 Rosgen-type) stream impacted by cattle grazing was evaluated for in-stream habitat types, bank erodability and macroinvertebrate community structure prior to stream restoration. The channel material was mostly sand and clay (D50 = 2.0 mm, D84 = 5.6) and less than five percent of the channel contained woody debris or snags as habitat. Our research has shown that densely branched, fibrous root mats along the margin of the channel provided less than ten percent of the in-channel structure but supported the greatest taxa richness, EPT counts and abundance of macroinvertebrates. These root mats were associated with in-stream root wads less than 40% of the time and retained less inorganic sediments than all other habitat types. We will discuss the need for including fibrous root mat habitat or a surrogate in restoration projects for streams of this type.