Riparian Ecosystem Restoration

Aerial image of Putah Creek in agricultural land in the Central Valley of California
Riparian restoration can provide many benefits to surrounding communities, including benefits to water resources, food security, human health, and even local communities. We have been working on ways to quantify the multiple benefits of riparian restoration, starting with biodiversity and climate change mitigation benefits. Riparian ecosystems are well-known biodiversity hotspots, particularly in the arid western U.S., and bird populations can respond quickly to restoration efforts. Less recognized is the potential for fast-growing riparian vegetation to sequester carbon. Our research will help estimate the potential biodiversity and carbon benefits of riparian restoration, communicating a more complete picture of the value of riparian restoration. At the same time, these projections can be compared to actual outcomes to fine-tune our understanding of these benefits and help evaluate the performance of riparian restoration projects.

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Dybala KE, Matzek V, Gardali T, Seavy NE (2019) Carbon sequestration in riparian forests: a global meta-analysis. Global Change Biology 25:57-67. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14475
Dybala KE, Steger K, Walsh RG, Smart DR, Gardali T, Seavy NE (2019) Optimizing carbon storage and biodiversity in reforested riparian zones. ​Journal of Applied Ecology 56:343-353. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13272​
Dybala KE, Matzek V, Gardali T, Seavy NE (2018) Carbon sequestration in riparian forests: a global meta-analysis. Oral presentation at the 2018 I.S. Rivers, 3rd international conference on integrative sciences and sustainable development of large rivers, Jun 4-8, Lyon, France.
Dybala KE, Engilis A, Trochet JA, Engilis IE, Truan ML (2018) Evaluating riparian restoration success: Long-term, large-scale responses of the breeding bird community in California's lower Putah Creek watershed. Ecological Restoration 36:76-85. DOI: 10.3368/er.36.1.76.
Dybala KE, Steger K, Walsh RG, Smart DR, Gardali T, Seavy NE (2017) Multiple metrics of riparian restoration benefits: soil, vegetation, & birds. Poster presentation at the 2017 Riparian Summit, Oct 17-19, Davis, CA.
Dybala KE, Dettling MD, Gardali T, Grossman JD, Kelsey R, Seavy NE (2017) Advancing ecological restoration through experimental design on spatial and temporal scales relevant to wildlife. PeerJ Preprints 5:e3365v1. DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.3365v1
Trochet JA, Engilis Jr A, Truan ML, Engilis IE, Dybala KE, Walsh RG, Whisler E (2017) New and extralimital records of breeding birds for Putah Creek, California. Western Birds 48:154-172. DOI: 10.21199/WB48.3.1
Dybala KE, Truan ML, Engilis A. 2015. Summer vs. winter: Examining the temporal distribution of avian biodiversity to inform conservation. Condor 117:560-576. DOI: 10.1650/CONDOR-1-41.1
Dybala KE, Seavy NE, Dettling MD, Gilbert M, Melcer R, Gardali T. 2014. Does restored riparian habitat create ecological traps for riparian birds through increased Brown-headed Cowbird nest parasitism? Ecological Restoration 32:239-248. DOI: 10.3368/er.32.3.239