Large Woody Debris Project
The Foothills Research Institute's Natural Disturbance Program is not only interested in the patterns and processes of disturbance but the consequences of those disturbances as well. One of the most immediate and obvious impacts of disturbance is an increase in the number of dead trees. These dead trees or stems perform critical biological functions on land and in the water as habitat, a supply of nutrients, and physical barriers or bridges. For example, large pieces of dead wood in small streams create pools for spawning, trap sediment and nutrients, provide hiding cover and shade for fish and even buffer the effects of flooding.
The dynamics of dead wood is thus a subject of some importance. How much, how often and by what means is woody debris generated naturally? How long and in what physical form does dead wood remain? Do recruitment and decay rates of dead wood vary between upland and riparian zones? Answers to these and other questions will provide our partners with better tools with which to manage landscapes using some guidance from Mother Nature.
For further information, please check the following links to large woody debris work by the Tree Ring Lab at University of British Columbia for the Natural Disturbance Program: