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Introduction to Low-Tech PBR of Riverscapes

We first introduced low-tech process-based restoration (PBR) by defining it and talking about:

  • the primary impairment it addresses: structurally-starved riverscapes
  • the primary processes promoted with low-tech PBR: wood accumulation and beaver dam activity
  • the typical structures used to reverse structural starvation

Lectures

Restoring Riverscapes Health with LTPBR image

Restoring Riverscapes Health with LTPBR

Joe's introductory, in-class lecture on LTPBR

  • Wheaton, J. (2026, February 18). Introduction to Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18686315
Details

Videos from Joe's Lecture:

Suzanne Husky explaining the "plot of riverscape funciton through time (cover of book)":

Emily Fairfax's Stopmotion video:

Emily's Beaver and Wildfire: The Verdant Refuge:

Gus Wathen (Anabranch Solutions) Willow Springs Videos.

First meal (Summer 2022)

First & Typical Flood (Fall 2022)

Five Years Later / 2 Treatments - Big Flood (Winter 2025)

2018 Daniel Bertram video of recently constructed BDAs in first high flows

Cannonball in La Ferme du Grand Laval daylighted ditch BDAs (2023)

Assigned Lectures to Watch

Please watch this series of lectures in the playlist below:

  1. Mark Beardsley: "Reimagine what riverscapes could be" (~17 min)
  2. Joe Wheaton: Introduction to LTPBR (~40 min)
  3. Joe Wheaton: Principles (~40 min)
  4. Ben Goldfarb: Beaver history (~20 min)

Module 4 - Low-Tech PBR Intro Playlist

Total: 1 hour 56 minutes

Reading

For this module, please read from the course text (free PDF available below):

  • Chapter 1 (pp. 27-50, including appendices)
  • Chapter 2 (pp. 57-82, including appendices)
  • Skim Chapter 4 (pp. 145-207, including appendices)
Low-Tech PBR Design Manual PDF image

Low-Tech PBR Design Manual PDF

Chapters 1, 2 & 4 of Wheaton J.M., Bennett S.N., Bouwes, N., Maestas J.D. and Shahverdian S.M. (Editors). 2019. Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual. Utah State University Restoration Consortium. Logan, UT. 286 pp. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.19590.63049/2

Chapters 1, 2 & 4 of Wheaton J.M., Bennett S.N., Bouwes, N., Maestas J.D. and Shahverdian S.M. (Editors). 2019. Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual. Version 1.0. Utah State University Restoration Consortium. Logan, UT. 286 pp. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.19590.63049/2.

Other Resources

Course Reference – WATS 5620

For reference, also see the online, self-paced materials associated with the popular 2020 Virtual Workshop. Graduate students and professionals take a more in-depth version of this in the 1 credit, WATS 5620:

Module 1 - Intro to LTPBR (Slides, Lectures, Exercises)

Slides, recorded lectures, and exercises from the 2020 Virtual Workshop.

Note that 3 of the 4 lectures in your assigned lecture playlist are from the 14 we cover in the WATS 5620 class.

Associated Exercises

For the workshops and WATS 5620 class, we have participants do two exercises:

Stream Evolution Model Quiz

Quiz on the Stream Evolution Model.

Parking Lot Exercise

Build your first PALS or BDAs.

Past Years' Resources

2020 Content

In Fall 2019 WATS 5340, we introduced the topic of low-tech PBR in the Principles topics. As such, we didn't cover it again in the Spring (WATS 5350), but we draw your attention to it here. We did not give an introduction to the different types of low-tech treatments, and we provide that lecture here:

Low-Tech Structures

2020 WATS5340 Week 7

Having previously covered principles, we work through the diversity of low-tech approaches and structure types in this lecture so you have a handle on what you're going to be using in your designs.

This talk is elaborated in Chapter 1 & Chapter 4 of the design manual.

Recorded Lecture

2019 Content

This introduction corresponds to the first two chapters from the Low-Tech PBR Design Manual.

Principles

We then transitioned into the bigger background problem and scope, and the core principles of low-tech PBR: