Large woody debris

Large woody debris (LWD) are the logs, sticks, branches, and other wood that falls into streams and rivers.

[1] Some stream channels have less LWD than they would naturally because of removal by watershed managers for flood control and aesthetic reasons.

Plantation thinning can reduce the potential for recruitment of LWD into proximal streams.

The presence of large woody debris is important in the formation of pools which serve as salmon habitat in the Pacific Northwest.

[3] Entrainment of the large woody debris in a stream can also cause erosion and scouring around and under the LWD.