Large Woody Debris and Land Management in California's Hardwood-Dominated Watersheds

Opperman, Jeff

This is a study documenting large woody debris loading, frequency, sources, recruitment mechanisms, and primary tree species providing large woody debris in hardwood-dominated coastal streams of northern California. Although large woody debris (LWD) has been studied extensively in conifer-dominated watersheds, relatively little is known about LWD in hardwood-dominated watersheds. Field surveys of 32 hardwood-dominated stream reaches in northern coastal California revealed that levels of LWD varied with land ownership and that living trees strongly influenced debris jam formation. Almost half of the channel-spanning debris jams, which stored the most wood and were most likely to form a pool, were formed behind a key piece that was still living. These living key pieces might provide greater longevity and stability than would otherwise be expected from hardwood LWD. Compared to streams on private, streams on public land had significantly greater LWD loading and debris-jam frequency. Land management practices that remove wood from streams might be contributing to the degradation of salmonid habitat in California’s hardwood-dominated watersheds.

Large Woody Debris and Land Management in California's Hardwood-Dominated Watersheds

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