Weyerhaeuser to Help Restore Fish Habitat on Upper Siuslaw River near Lorane.

Business Editors

SPRINGFIELD, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2001

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY), in partnership with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), is helping improve fish habitat in a mile-long stretch of the upper Siuslaw River between Lorane and Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove is approximately 20 miles south of Eugene.

The project entails constructing 13 wood debris jams to slow water speed; capture gravel and sediments; develop pools for spawning; and create natural rearing and spawning habitats for native salmon and trout, said Mary Wuertz, a Weyerhaeuser forest engineer.

"We use a track-type excavator to carefully place logs and root wads into the stream," Wuertz said. "The debris placement simulates natural jams where wood accumulations would typically occur."

Work of this kind is normally done during seasonally low water levels when fish are not present, to avoid any adverse impact to water quality and habitat, Wuertz said.

Wuertz added that the south fork of the upper Siuslaw River is similar to most streams in the Siuslaw Basin because the stream channel has lost most of its large wood during the past several decades. Fish biologists once thought woody debris in streams affected fish migration and timber companies were required to remove it. More recent research, however, shows that large wood in the stream is critical to fish habitat.

"Not only will our restoration work be good for fish, it will also benefit beaver, which could have a positive influence on stream habitats and fish populations," Wuertz said.

The watershed restoration project is made possible through a $10,340 OWEB grant awarded to the Siuslaw Watershed Council. Weyerhaeuser and ODFW provided in-kind services totaling $9,975.

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY), one of the world's largest integrated forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2000, sales were $16 billion. It has offices or operations in 17 countries, with customers worldwide. Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities. Additional information about Weyerhaeuser's businesses, products and practices is available at www.weyerhaeuser.com.