The purpose of the PHB study is to develop criteria to characterize PHBs as accurately as possible and to evaluate the utility and accuracy of PHB criteria selected by the Forest Practices Board for use in the Fish Habitat Assessment Methodology (FHAM) as part of a water typing rule. The study is designed to assess combinations of gradient, channel width, barriers to migration, and other physical habitat and geomorphic conditions associated with uppermost detected fish locations and the upstream extent of fish habitats. Study findings will 1) inform which Board-identified PHB criteria most accurately identify the upstream extent of fish habitat in an objective and repeatable manner as applied in the FHAM; 2) evaluate whether an alternative set or combination of empirically derived criteria more accurately achieves this goal; and 3) provide insight into how uppermost detected fish points and associated stream characteristics may vary across geography, seasons, and years.
