2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

5/26/2021 | 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM | Long-term Dynamics of Large Wood Added to Midwestern, USA, Streams | Virtual Platform

Long-term Dynamics of Large Wood Added to Midwestern, USA, Streams

Large wood (LW) is commonly added to restore degraded streams, particularly in regenerating forests with low LW recruitment due to past logging. While the short-term effects of LW input on stream structure and function are well-studied, long-term dynamics of added wood are less documented. In 2004, 25 aspen logs (2.5m L x 0.5m D) were added to 100-m treatment reaches of three small Michigan (USA) streams (baseflow discharge <60 L/s) that contained low prior LW abundance. Over 14 years, we monitored the movement of LW and assessed differences in stream geomorphology and substrate between treatment and upstream control reaches. Across all three streams, 41 of the 75 added logs moved downstream an average of 4.0 m (SD, 7.0 m), with all logs remaining within their original reaches. Movement was generally associated with logs having over 70% within the low-flow channel or lying nearly horizontal, suggesting that movements are predictable and controllable with careful log placement. LW effects on channel geomorphology were more variable, but LW appears to create microhabitats that enhance stream productivity over time. Log additions to small midwestern streams may therefore constitute a viable approach for ecosystem restoration.

Movement
Restoration
Stream

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Presenters/Authors

Sam Bosio (), University of Notre Dame, sbosio@nd.edu;