West Branch Brook PALS

In 2021 seven PALS (Post Assisted Log Structures) were constructed in West Branch Brook just upstream of the 30-00-0 Road crossing. Previously staged logs were floated upstream and manually arranged into jams with the use of timber carriers and peaveys. Most of these are channel spanning structures constructed of commercially harvested red pine logs.  The logs were lashed together with over 700 feet of 3/8” sisal rope. The structures were then pinned to the streambed using an average of 32.7 posts per PALS, way more than we had used in the previously constructed mainstem PALS.  The average number of posts that we used for the 120 mainstem PALS was 14.3.  All of this extra work securing the structures so far has paid off in survivability.  Post-construction surveys were conducted in 2022 and again in 2023. All structures were found to be completely intact with some natural wood beginning to accumulate on them.