While talking to a forester that I went to school with and later worked with about fires he described that well back in time how fires had leaped froged up the coast of Pacific. While the perception of old growth forest forest is that they were all giant trees in reality they were very diverse in age. A real mix of very old to very young when you consider that they went from 400 years old to very young reprod.

CM is correct that young trees really do not hold water until over 20 years old as they have to grow the root structure that has that capability. So young tree farm timber runs off faster ( higher winter flows events ) and lower summer flows due to the lack of root structure and canopy retaining moisture.

The vast majority of fish and wildlife are dependent on the RMZ areas that border all streams. While expanded by the Forest Practice act they are still rather small compared to the functioning RMZ in old growth forest. Then add in that most creek and valleys that are now farm land and cities and towns were once covered with trees that were cleared. Prior to the arrival of settlers very few open spaces existed anyplace as the west side of the mountains was a solid canopy of trees. Heavens the original explorers damn near starved as the forest had little to eat, in human terms, except fish which the natives utilized. Some native populations used fire or other means to create artificial clearings to attract animal life to hunt them. The simple fact is if humans were gone right now in a blink of and eye it would take nature a thousand years to recreate what existed three hundred years ago.

Add to this is the fact that most of us live near or in estuary areas that have massively reduced productivity due to the human alteration of the natural order. The reality is that urbanization is the greatest threat to fish at the present time. Simply put modern human society is not compatible with the natural order that existed in 1780. How we reconcile that is the issue we struggle with as a people. Be it tree farms, farms, or urbanization ( as people move here to enjoy the natural beauty and destroy it in doing so ) WE are the problem. Thing is it is always easier to blame the other guy or as someone I know is fond of saying " it is easy to be a environmentalist as long as the someone else carries the burden and cost but not me."