Brown's Creek Riparian Shading Study -Assessment of Stream Shade Provided by Unforested Riparian Buffer Vegetation

The purpose of the project is to target the type and location of riparian vegetation restoration needed to shade three miles of unforested buffer on Brown's Creek, a metro area trout stream impaired for thermal and sediment loading. The project will conduct a riparian shading analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and modeling of restoration scenarios based on field measurements of shade in the unforested buffer of Brown's Creek. The study will accelerate the implementation of the 13,155 feet of thermal buffer improvement projects by targeting where shade mitigation is needed most and identifying the best-suited vegetation for shading at each site.