Brandon Gulch Salmon Habitat Restoration

Mendocino Land Trust completed an in-stream restoration project to improve coho salmon spawning habitat in Brandon Gulch, a small tributary to the South Fork Noyo River, located in Jackson Demonstration State Forest. Thirty-five new log structures were installed, using over 100 large wood pieces along a 3,885-foot stretch of stream near the Egg Collecting Station. Funding from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the project was granted in December 2021, with on-site work starting in August 2025 by the California Conservation Corps crews. Approximately half the planned log structures were placed and secured instream over the summer; crews returned in October 2025 to complete the project.

The goal of the project is to improve the quality and quantity of spawning and rearing habitat for coho and steelhead in Brandon Gulch, to increase the complexity, frequency, and depth of pools, as well as provide shelter and refugia. The large wood elements will sort substrate, capture spawning gravels, and improve overall stream function, while also supporting the broader forest ecosystems.