What type of effect is this flood going to have on the redds? Will they all get ripped out and washed away or what? Thanks for the info. This rain needs to stop.

In spite of all the rain we've had, the rivers have not, with a few exceptions, risen to unusual levels. With the denudation of hillsides by clearcut logging, runoff is unquestionably more of a threat than it was (though with reduced levels of logging and improved forestry practices, may even be marginally better than twenty or thirty years ago) but periods of high water brought on by heavy rain and snowmelt when a warm tropical front comes through have been normal ocurrences in the northwest since the end of the last glaciation, and steelhead and salmon evolved to handle it.

Geez! I can't help but reply to Prestons post! Marginally better than they were 20 or 30 years ago"?:???? get your facts before you speak! Look at the current Forest Practice rules Preston. Todays laws on riparian protection are enormous! It is not only the laws, but a majority of the large landowners are going beyond these laws and voluntarily leaving additional riparian protection in many areas. Not to mention the amount of road maintenance and other restoration efforts they are making in not only water quality
arenas, but wildlife benefits also. If you really feel the way your post was read, I challenge you to pick up a copy of the Forest Practice Rules and rerad them. Maybe make some contacts with some of the large timber land holders of the state and ask them what they are doing. Many large landowners have entered in to very expensive Habitat Conservation Plans that help to protect sensitive and endangered species of all kinds. I have been a professional forester for going on 20 years! To hear somebody make a statement like that in todays world cuts to the bone!

If you'll re-read my post, you'll find I did not say that forestry practices are marginally better than they were twenty or thirty years ago, I said that runoff may be marginally better than it was twenty or thirty years ago. I don't think that anyone can, in good conscience, say that our watersheds are in as good shape as they were years ago, especially after the excessive clear cutting of the seventies.

The term "rules were meant to be broken" seems to come into play alot by the timber industry from what I see on the Solduc, Calawah and a couple other Oly penn rivers. I see it logged Right to the edge of the river in many places. I know some follow rules but these are in places were lots of people see it! Youd think they would be more discreat. Ive heard the fines dont even come close to the payoff for the illegally harvested trees so they just keep cutting. I dont know if this is true but no matter it looks like sh!t and cant be good for the enviornment.

I dont help the issue though as I design Heating and A/C for logging equipment for manufactures such as Cat, JD, Blount, Timberjack and on and on.

I will start working on a switch that shuts it down 1000 ft from a water source! Any attemts at by passing the system will result in a seat ejection. Hopefully the roof will open first but we ran out of design money so we'll wait and see! Right now 9 seats out of 10 are smashing into the roof!

Bob D