Determining target loads of large and small wood for stream rehabilitation in high-rainfall agricultural regions of Victoria, Australia

Lester, Rebecca E.; Wright, Wendy; Jones-Lennon, Michelle

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2006.04.010

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In each instance, fenced areas were present, with minimum dimensions of 7 m by 100 m on both sides of the stream. All study sites had a depauperate load of in-stream wood compared to a local reference wood load (<10 per cent on average; Lester et al, 2006), and, where possible, upstream remnant riparian vegetation stands were present to act as a source of macroinvertebrate colonists. A concurrent biodiversity study required the use of 10 m reaches for each study site (Lester et al, 2007), so those reaches were also used as a part of this study to allow comparison of findings.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reintroducing wood to streams in agricultural landscapes: changes in velocity profile, stage and erosion rates

Lester

Wright

2008

River Research & Apps

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Historically, perceived increases in erosion and flooding levels have been attributed to in-stream wood and used to justify its removal from streams and rivers around the world. More recently, recognition of the adverse morphological and biological impacts caused by this removal has led to rehabilitation projects that actively reintroduce wood to streams. However, a perception remains amongst some members of the general community that wood additions increase the likelihood of flooding and erosion in the target streams.To test whether there was a basis for this perception, we experimentally added wood to eight streams across southwest Victoria and Gippsland, Australia. The velocity, stage and bed and bank erosion rates were compared with those of unaltered reaches. We detected localized changes in the velocity and stage parameters but that these were unlikely to operate at the reach-scale. Bed erosion rates, where maximum erosion was assumed if pins were not recovered, showed increased erosion due to wood additions but this was not supported by channel shape analyses, which identified short-term increases in the variability of the channel shape, followed by longer-term stability at treatment sites.We found no clear evidence of increased longer-term rates of erosion or flooding associated with the introduction of wood to streams over the 18-month study period. It remains important to carefully design rehabilitation works, but the lack of adverse effects on stream morphology and increased variability of the in-stream environment suggests improved habitat diversity, supporting the use of wood addition as a stream rehabilitation technique.

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Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reintroducing wood to streams in agricultural landscapes: changes in velocity profile, stage and erosion rates

Lester

Wright

2008

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“…Benchmark values are commonly established by measuring the ecological variable of interest at a reference site known to be unmodified or little modified since European settlement (Prober et al 2002;Mac Nally et al 2002b;Parkes et al 2003;Lester et al 2006;McElhinny et al 2006). However, this approach is of little use in landscapes where unmodified examples of a vegetation community no longer exist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling fallen branch volumes in a temperate eucalypt woodland: implications for large senescent trees and benchmark loads of coarse woody debris

et al. 2010

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Fallen branches are a substantial component of coarse woody debris and a key ecological resource.The depletion of stocks of coarse woody debris since European settlement has contributed to the degradation of Australian grassy box woodlands, including the loss of biodiversity. Restoration options for remnant woodlands include the augmentation of coarse woody debris stocks. However, the extensive modification of grassy box woodlands has left few reference sites for establishing benchmarks to guide such restoration. In this paper we demonstrate a method for predicting fallen branch debris loads in the absence of reference sites, using data from a yellow box-red gum woodland. Our methodology is in two stages: first, the total volume of branch debris under individual trees was modelled; and second, these models were applied to groups of trees to predict stand-level loads of fallen branch debris. Although the models were developed for yellow box-red gum woodlands, the methodology would be applicable to other communities that lack reference sites. Predicted benchmark loads of fallen branch debris for yellow box-red gum woodland were between 7.0 m 3 ha -1 and 11.9 m 3 ha -1 . Large senescing trees contributed the bulk of fallen branch debris. Model predictions indicated a 100-cm diameter at breast height (dbh) tree was 10 times more likely to produce debris than a 50-cm dbh tree, and if debris was present a 100-cm dbh tree produced approximately 10 times the volume of branch debris produced by a 50-cm dbh tree. These results highlight the importance of large senescing trees for the production of fallen branch debris and support the keystone role of large trees within remnant woodlands, and the need to conserve these structures. Our results also support the active management of regrowth woodland stands to facilitate the progression of individual trees to maturity and senescence. In particular, thinning of regrowth stands may promote the growth of retained trees, ensuring they contribute to fallen branch debris stocks with a minimum time lag.

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“…Natural wood loading in streams ranged from ϳ10 m 3 ·m −2 of channel area in deciduous-softwoods (willows) to well over 1000 m 3 ·m −2 in conifer forests (Gurnell 2003). Examples include low loadings of 0.021-222 m 3 ·m −2 in high-elevation and drier environments (Berg et al 1998;Dunkerley 2014;Hering et al 2000;Lester et al 2006), moderate loadings of 227-638 m 3 ·m −2 in dense forests (e.g., Baillie et al 2008;Carlson et al 1990), and high loadings of over 1000 m 3 ·m −2 in California redwood forests (MacDonald et al 1982).…”

Section: Wood Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among studies that document the two components separately, several studies have found that (i) wood mobility increases (and residence time decreases) with increasing channel size and (ii) decay rates of wood are generally higher for deciduous species than conifer species. For example, in small channels where wood pieces are large relative to channel size, much of the wood is stable, and single pieces of wood can form pools or store sediment (Beechie and Sibley 1997;Jones et al 2011;Lester et al 2006;Seo et al 2010). Therefore, in small channels where wood is immobile, decay is a primary driver of wood depletion over time (Fig.…”

Section: Wood Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Wood placement in river restoration: fact, fiction, and future direction

Roni

Beechie

Pess

et al. 2015

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

193

211

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Despite decades of research on wood in rivers, the addition of wood as a river restoration technique remains controversial. We reviewed the literature on natural and placed wood to shed light on areas of continued debate. Research on river ecology demonstrates that large woody debris has always been a natural part of most rivers systems. Although a few studies have reported high structural failure rates (>50%) of placed instream wood structures, most studies have shown relatively low failure rates (<20%) and that placed wood remains stable for several years, though long-term evaluations of placed wood are rare. The vast majority of studies on wood placement have reported improvements in physical habitat (e.g., increased pool frequency, cover, habitat diversity). Studies that have not reported improvements in physical habitat often found that watershed processes (e.g., sediment, hydrology, water quality) had not been addressed. Finally, most evaluations of fish response to wood placement have shown positive responses for salmonids, though few studies have looked at long-term watershed-scale responses or studied a wide range of species.Résumé : Malgré des décennies de recherche sur le bois dans les rivières, l'ajout de bois comme technique de restauration demeure controversé. Nous avons passé en revue la documentation sur le bois naturel et mis en place pour faire la lumière sur les enjeux qui font toujours l'objet de débat. La recherche en écologie fluviale démontre que les grands débris ligneux ont toujours constitué une composante naturelle de la plupart des réseaux fluviaux. Si quelques études ont signalé des taux élevés de défaillance structurale (>50 %) des structures en bois mises en place dans des cours d'eau, la plupart des études ont noté des taux de défaillance assez faibles (<20 %) et montré que le bois mis en place dans les cours d'eau demeurait stable pendant plusieurs années, les évaluations à long terme du bois mis en place étant toutefois rares. La grande majorité des études sur la mise en place de bois font état d'améliorations de l'habitat physique (p. ex. fréquences accrues de mouilles, couvert, diversité des habitats). Bon nombre des études n'ayant pas constaté d'amélioration de l'habitat physique notaient que les processus hydrographiques (p. ex. sédiments, hydrologie, qualité de l'eau) n'avaient pas été pris en considération. Enfin, si la plupart des évaluations de la réaction des poissons à la mise en place de bois ont relevé des réactions positives en ce qui concerne les salmonidés, peu d'études ont examiné les réactions à long terme à l'échelle du bassin versant ou étudié un grand éventail d'espèces. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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Determining target loads of large and small wood for stream rehabilitation in high-rainfall agricultural regions of Victoria, Australia

Cited by 19 publications

References 30 publications

Reintroducing wood to streams in agricultural landscapes: changes in velocity profile, stage and erosion rates

Reintroducing wood to streams in agricultural landscapes: changes in velocity profile, stage and erosion rates

Modelling fallen branch volumes in a temperate eucalypt woodland: implications for large senescent trees and benchmark loads of coarse woody debris

Wood placement in river restoration: fact, fiction, and future direction

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