Rewetting floodplains rebuilds riparian plant communities

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo by Katelyn Driscoll

Laurel Martinez records species presence and cover data for a vegetation plot at San Antonio Creek on the Santa Fe National Forest. Behind her is a beaver dam analog installed in the stream which retains a large amount of sediment, water, and overbank flow from the stream which spreads out across the floodplain. Location: San Antonio Creek, Jemez Mountains, Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico, USA. Photo taken in June 2022.

Widespread stream incision across the Western U.S. has led to the loss of floodplain connectivity, lowered water tables, and the degradation of riparian ecosystems. These changes reduce biodiversity, diminish water storage capacity, harm grazing lands and wildlife habitat, increase vulnerability to drought, and eliminate wetland corridors that once functioned as natural firebreaks. New research evaluated how two stream restoration approaches—beaver dam analogs (BDAs) and plug-and-ponds—affect riparian vegetation communities, with a focus on plant traits that respond to water availability and flooding that influences ecosystem function. Researchers demonstrated that both treatments can rapidly rewet and recover vital riparian ecosystems and deliver a clear return on investment by reestablishing a wetter, more resilient landscape.