Woody debris (right!...and wrong!)

Were no people living close to the stream banks downstream, woody debris would virtually always be a good thing. Wood is a primary source of food and shelter in stream habitats. But, the longer logs in narrow stream channels can lodge crosswise during floods, causing log jams and potentially higher levels of property damage. As a result, people often remove large logs from stream channels upstream of vulnerable properties. In many of these situations, as alternatives to complete removal of all wood from streams, the shorter pieces of wood could be left in place and longer logs cut, or some logs could be anchored along the banks. Many streams have much better fishing where woody debris is present.