Incremental Effects of Large Woody Debris Removal on Physical Aquatic Habitat.

Abstract

Large woody debris (LWD) removal (also called clearing and snagging) is a widely employed practice. The LWD is removed from small channels to increase conveyance (i.e., reducing the stage and duration of high frequency flooding) and from large channels to eliminate navigation hazards. Complete removal of LWD can have detrimental effects upon stream habitats. Thus, a balance between habitat considerations and channel conveyance is necessary. Selective removal of bank and near-channel floodplain vegetation and channel obstructions is a means of accomplishing this balance. The principal objective of this study was to investigate incremental effects of selective clearing and snagging on physical conditions and aquatic habitat in a sand bed river. The study was part of a larger program to develop techniques to quantify and predict incremental physical and biological effects of LWD removal. Long-term research objectives are to relate the densities and types of LWD formations in streams to specific biotic parameters, near-bank-full friction factor, and longitudinal dispersion as an indicator of the tendency a channel reach to trap and hold fine particulate matter. In this study, a simple method for quantifying LWD density and computing associated friction factors was developed and tested using data collected during a clearing and snagging project on the South Fork Obion River in western Tennessee. Physical conditions of both cleared and uncleared stream reaches were measured by collecting three types of data: LWD density, dye tracer tests (for computing reach mean hydraulic parameter), and physical habitat (depth, velocity, bed type, and cover) at selected transects.... Clearing, Dye tests, Large woody debris, Physical aquatic habitat, Snagging, South Fork Obion River.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA259103

Entities

People

  • Anthony C. Gibson
  • Elba A. Dardeau
  • F. D. Shields Jr.
  • Roger H. Smith
  • Thomas E. Schaefer Jr

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Data Analysis
  • Drainage Basins
  • Engineers
  • Environment
  • Fish
  • Floods
  • Forests
  • Habitats
  • Navigation
  • Organic Materials
  • Plants
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Sedimentation
  • United States
  • Vegetation
  • Water Resources
  • Wildlife

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Riverine Ecology
  • Systems Analysis and Design