Although many studies have identified the characteristics of wood stored in streams, few have attempted to measure the long-term dynamics of large wood. From 1982-1985, we developed a long-term study of input, storage, decomposition, and redistribution of large wood in Mack Creek. Each year from 1985 to the present, we have surveyed a 1.1 km section of this stream. This annual survey has allowed us to quantify the standing stocks and characteristics of large wood within the stream and floodplain of an old-growth forest and an older (ca. 1963) clear-cut. In addition, these data allow us to measure rates of input, fragmentation and movement.
George W. Lienkaemper, Linda R. Ashkenas, Randall C. Wildman, Stanley V. Gregory
To provide a long-term record of large wood pieces in both an undisturbed and a modified stream channel. Most work on in-stream wood uses a "snapshot" approach, and does not provide any temporal information. This study was designed to monitor in-stream wood over a long time scale.