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000335 . PROPOSED PIEDRE RIVER WILDERNESS Riparian Vegetation Ouesrions lO answer: 1. What are the riparian vegetation community types represented in the proposed Piedre River Wilder- ness? 2. What are their environmental requirements lor survival, reproduction, and growth? 3. Presuming that in-stream water flows are directly related to #2 above, what are the in-stream water flow requirements? 4. How do the in-stream water flwo requirements, as described in #3 above, relate to the conclusions reached by the hydrologists and lish biologists, METHODS The objective for my lime in the proposed wilderness was to recon tile river and the primary tributaries to (a) make observations of the riparian vegetation and (b) determine whether additional sampling was necessary to measure and evaluate the riparian vegetation. During the first trip (September 14-15, 1991), I traversed the Piedre River trail from Upper Piedre Trailhead to the recreation area at First Fork Creek. I stopped at several sites along the river and walked up Weminuche, Sand, and First Fork Creeks about 200 yards each. On October 26, JeH Redders and I visited the three sites selected for fish shocking and hydrologic cross- sections in order \0 make specific interpretations that would be related with the data and information collected by the hydrologists and fish biologists. Jell inventoried the vegetation that was identiriable at that late in the season. We also studied the relationships between riparian and upland vegetation with respect to various water levels: current, banklull (0'.5), and above bankfull. We also made interpretations regarding the appar- ent vigor of the riparian communities, successional relationships.. including species composition, and natural regeneration processes. VEGETATION DESCRIPTION Vegetation information was collected on three sites. SITE 1 The lirst site, approximately .25 miles upstream from the confluence of First Fork Creek is a Mountain 'alder/Willow community type with the potential of a Mountain alder/Red-osier or a Mountain alder/Willow/Red-osier potential natural vegetation community, Blue spruce is restricted primarily to sideslopes and is an indicator 01 the cold air drainage inlluence 01 the landform. The riparian area is a narrow strip above the bankfull level. There are few floodplains within the riparian area, and are usually small in size. However, one in particular, is notable. it is on the west bank of the Piedre River, a! the upstream end of the fish shocking stretch. A large log jam exists along the west bank of the river, immediately upstream from a 600 bend. The log jam has existed fOI several years and is protecting a larger than normal floodplain. Riparian vegetation is more vigorous here as compared to along the stream banks because of the protection that it has experienced from the mechanical forces of high water flows. A typical riparian site contains alder, willow, and horsetail and is directly adjacent to the channel. The steep side-slopes at the channel's edge prevent the riparian-dependent vegetation from occuring too distant from tile water's edge. Alder is the clear dominant in the shrub layer. Coyote willow was apparaenlfy more abundant than other willow species, but it was difficult to tell because of the time of the year. The red-osier is also spotty, but generally abundant where it does occur. Herbaceous vegetation is spotty, usually dominat- ed by graminoid species.