Distribution of Large Woody Debris in Tidal Marshes
Presentation Abstract
Many tidal marsh restoration projects include large woody debris (LWD) supplementation, particularly in tidal channels. These projects assume that LWD plays a similar ecological and geomorphological role in tidal marshes as it does in rivers. However, in contrast to the fluvial literature, the literature on tidal marsh LWD is extremely sparse and provides no guidance on how much LWD normally occurs in tidal marshes, where it is located, how it behaves, or what its ecological and geomorphological role is. Consequently, it is unclear if restoration planners and engineers are putting too much, too little, or just the right amount of LWD in their projects, or if they are putting it in the right places and in the right manner. This contribution addresses this information gap and provide useful guidance for restoration planning and design by examining the distribution of LWD in tidal marshes of the Skagit, Snohomish, and Dosewallips river deltas. LWD distribution is affected by proximity to river distributaries, fetch, topography, vegetation, and dikes. LWD density and total length on the marsh surface scales allometrically with marsh area, while LWD density and total length in tidal channels scales negatively with channel size, except for the smallest channels which are too small to accommodate LWD.
Session Title
General Habitat Topics
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Coarse woody debris--Management--Washington (State); Salt marshes--Management--Washington (State)
Geographic Coverage
Washington (State); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Distribution of Large Woody Debris in Tidal Marshes
2016SSEC
Many tidal marsh restoration projects include large woody debris (LWD) supplementation, particularly in tidal channels. These projects assume that LWD plays a similar ecological and geomorphological role in tidal marshes as it does in rivers. However, in contrast to the fluvial literature, the literature on tidal marsh LWD is extremely sparse and provides no guidance on how much LWD normally occurs in tidal marshes, where it is located, how it behaves, or what its ecological and geomorphological role is. Consequently, it is unclear if restoration planners and engineers are putting too much, too little, or just the right amount of LWD in their projects, or if they are putting it in the right places and in the right manner. This contribution addresses this information gap and provide useful guidance for restoration planning and design by examining the distribution of LWD in tidal marshes of the Skagit, Snohomish, and Dosewallips river deltas. LWD distribution is affected by proximity to river distributaries, fetch, topography, vegetation, and dikes. LWD density and total length on the marsh surface scales allometrically with marsh area, while LWD density and total length in tidal channels scales negatively with channel size, except for the smallest channels which are too small to accommodate LWD.
