View a full summary of the 2022 field season HERE

Brook Trout Habitat Restoration

Large Wood Additions: Starting in 2010, Tin Mountain has partnered with federal, state, and other nonprofit conservation agencies in the Mount Washington Valley to restore first-order streams in the region. By adding large wood pieces to increase the total instream wood percent coverage, we increase pool frequency  and depth, slow stream velocity down to permit higher nutrient retention, and generally enhance freshwater stream ecosystems for the organisms that inhabit them. The target species that we enhance streams for is the Eastern Brook Trout, however adding large wood creates beneficial conditions for a number of stream organisms.

Pre- and Post-Treatment Biological Assessments: Before and after adding wood to streams, the research team at Tin Mountain evaluates several different aspects of the study streams to determine the ecological impact that woody additions have. To establish baseline conditions, we measure water chemistry metrics and instream habitat conditions before adding wood. We also collect benthic macroinvertebrate samples using a variety of techniques to establish indices of biological integrity, and we sample the brook trout population using electrofishing. Once woody additions have taken place, we collect the same data in the years following the restoration work to evaluate the influence of adding large wood.

Want to learn more? Click here to view our intern/ research publications.