§ 24.35.310. Requirements for restoration plans.

Habitat restoration plans shall be prepared by a qualified biologist or other qualified professional and shall identify all measures needed to improve the habitat functions. Priority and locally important habitats and species, if present, shall be addressed in the plan. The restoration plan shall be prepared, consistent with best available science, by the applicant's qualified biologist. Restoration measures shall include, as applicable, but are not limited to, the following:

A.

Planting a mix of conifers and other native trees in degraded riparian habitat areas that will provide structural diversity and a source of large woody debris (e.g., fallen trees) for the stream, marine areas, and productive upland habitat. The trees shall be appropriate to the habitat, field grown, at least two feet in height, and planted between October 1 and April 1. The applicant shall provide a watering plan indicating how the trees will be watered during the first two years following planting to ensure survival.

B.

Replacing invasive or nonnative plant species with native vegetation that occurs in the habitat.

C.

Replacing rip-rap, concrete, tires or similar stream bank armoring along a Type F or S stream with anchored logs or another appropriate form of bioengineering consistent with the latest edition of WDFW's Integrated Stream bank Protection Guidelines. (Also see Chapter 24.20 TCC, Frequently Flooded Areas).

D.

Planting vegetation appropriate and consistent with the surrounding habitat to increase root density along stream banks that are eroding or are vulnerable to erosion, as determined by the approval authority. Unless otherwise recommended by a qualified professional, such vegetation shall be planted between October 1 and April 1. The applicant shall provide a watering plan indicating how the plants will be watered during the first two years following planting to ensure survival.

E.

Off channel habitat restoration or enhancement (e.g., sloughs) that significantly improves the productivity of a stream section.

F.

Installing rot free, slow decomposing tree trunks with root balls (e.g., red cedar, Douglas fir, big leaf maple) and/or large rocks in appropriate locations in Type F or S streams that lack such structure, as determined by the approval authority in consultation with the WDFW and others with expertise. The approval authority may require that a qualified engineer review the proposal to assure that it will function as intended without exacerbating flooding risks. Also see Chapter 24.20 TCC, Frequently Flooded Areas.

Unless otherwise recommended by a qualified professional consistent with best available science, logs placed in streams between sixteen and thirty-two feet wide shall be at least twenty-two inches in diameter. Trees placed in streams wider than thirty-two feet shall be at least twenty-six inches in diameter.

Large woody debris shall not be installed in the following locations unless it is anchored:

1.

Streams that have a history or high potential for debris torrents or other mass wasting;

2.

Within fifty feet upstream from culverts or bridges;

3.

Confined streams where the width of the valley floor is less than twice the bankfull width;

4.

In areas that have a known history of log jams that threaten structures or roads.

(For guidance on tree selection and placement, see the Forest Practices Board Manual, Section 26, dated August 2001, Guidelines for Large Woody Debris Placement Strategies, as amended).

G.

Removal of roads within the habitat area and revegetation of the roadbeds with appropriate native vegetation. The approval authority may require soil amendment to enable plant survival and drainage in restored roadbeds.

H.

Removal of structures within the habitat area and revegetation of the building sites with appropriate native vegetation. The approval authority may require soil amendment on the compacted building site to enable plant survival and drainage.

I.

Removal or replacement of culverts or facilities that are a barrier to fish migration.

J.

Elimination of channels and ditches in a habitat area or buffer that convey stormwater to a waterbody and installation of a device (e.g., a perforated pipe) to induce sheet flow of stormwater at the outer edge of the habitat area or buffer, as applicable.

K.

Planting native vegetation appropriate and consistent with the surrounding habitat in degraded habitat areas that will provide structural diversity for the habitat and associated species. The plants shall be appropriate to the habitat, native to the area and planted between October 1 and April 1. The applicant shall provide a watering plan indicating how the plants will be watered during the first two years following planting to ensure survival.

(Ord. No. 14773, § 3(Att. B), 7-24-2012)