Provision of shade via riparian restoration is a well-established management adaptation strategy to mitigate against temperature increases in streams. Effective use of this strategy depends upon accurately identifying vulnerable, unforested riparian areas in priority coldwater stream habitats. An innovative riparian planting and restoration decision support tool is now available to the conservation community. This user-friendly tool allows managers and decision-makers to rapidly identify and prioritize areas along the banks of rivers, streams, and lakes for restoration, making these ecosystems more resilient to disturbance and future changes in climate.
This research developed and implemented a user-friendly web-based tool to identify priority areas for riparian restoration in the context of predicted climate change at the appropriate scale needed by practitioners. First, a ‘shovel ready’ prioritization tool for managers facing immediate on-the-ground decisions wasdeveloped. The research then linked directly to ongoing stream flow, temperature, and biological response modeling projects and decision support tools. In addition, a short article in a peer- reviewed journal detailing this project was published.
