Manual
The purpose of this design manual is to provide restoration practitioners with guidelines for implementing a subset of low-tech tools — namely beaver dam analogues (BDAs) and post-assisted log structures (PALS)—for initiating process-based restoration in structurally-starved riverscapes. While the concept of process-based restoration in riverscapes has been advocated for at least two decades, details and specific examples on how to implement it remain sparse. Here, we describe low-tech process-based restoration (LT-PBR) as a practice of using simple, low unit-cost, structural additions (e.g. wood and beaver dams) to riverscapes to mimic functions and initiate specific processes. Hallmarks of this approach include:
- An explicit focus on the processes that a low-tech restoration intervention is meant to promote
- A conscious effort to use cost-effective, low-tech treatments (e.g. hand-built, natural materials, non-engineered, short-term design life-spans) because of the need to efficiently scale-up application.
- 'Letting the system do the work' which defers critical decision making to riverscapes and nature's ecosystem engineers
Pocket Guide
Check out the condensed, Cliff-Notes version of the manual in our new Pocket Guide.
Free Resources
The design manual and Pocket Guide are available digitally for free thanks to the generous investments and support from our sponsors. Moreover, after the virtual training in August 2020, all the introductory workshop modules are now available free here for self-paced learning.
LT-PBR Resources
See here for free, LTPBR resources
LTPBR Learning Modules
See here for free, self-paced resources
Take a Virtual Reading Riverscapes Field Trip
Training
The next publicly offered classes are our new Advanced Series starting in Fall 2025. Registration is open until day before each course for professionals. Due to travel restrictions for many, these courses have switched to an online delivery too!
The introductory series are offered in the Spring each year at Utah State University (USU) as part of their Watershed Science Graduate Program. These courses are open to professionals and students alike.
Register for Fall 2025 - Advanced LTPBR Courses
Take for University Credit or Professional CEU credit 🎓. Four advanced courses to choose from on advanced i) Planning, ii) Design, iii) Monitoring of Riverscape Health and iv) Screening and Prioritization