Will Brendecke is a certified silviculturist working for the US Forest Service for the past 10 years. Will has worked in various ecosystems and in various capacities across the U.S. and internationally. As a forester/ silviculturist he has worked on the Malheur, Umatilla, Shawnee, and Finger Lakes National Forest. Currently, on the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest, Will is part of planning teams and writes prescriptions that address fire/fuels risk management, forest health, wildlife and other restoration concerns. Will also has worked as a Peace Corps agroforestry volunteer in Senegal and more recently with the USFS International Programs in Honduras and Guatemala developing restoration strategies. During his time on the Deschutes N.F. he has been involved with local Deschutes County Forest Collaborative group, citizen organizations and individuals to identify and build partnerships to address user issues/ concerns as well as forest health and natural resource issues/ concerns. Will has B.S. in Zoology (entomology focus) and M.S. in Forest Ecology and Management from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

Presentation Topic

Riparian restoration planning, implementation and monitoring – Not all zones are created equal (lessons from recent past to present)

Presentation Description

Riparian restoration objectives are have become a central part of projects on the Sisters Ranger District in recent years. Central to concerns of working in riparian areas include, but not limited to, soil impacts and stream shade concerns. Three recent projects specifically have utilized thinning in RHCAs/ riparian reserves using hand-thinning and/or harvesting equipment to accomplish work. Lessons learned from planning (site specificity implied) to implementation (logging systems and design) have increased our ability to meet riparian objectives while maintaining resource protection concerns. Talking points will survey 3 past/ current projects and identify some specific differences from the planning to implementation (including logging systems and design) important in riparian management. A brief discussion on monitoring will be included in order to demonstrate more far reaching information important in measuring outcomes.