Characteristics of coarse woody debris and its impact on urban streambed process and structure, North Buffalo Creek, Greensboro, U.S.A.

Coarse woody debris is important in contemporary urban stream channel systems yet little is known about the dynamics and characteristics of CWD and its impact on streambed process and structure. Measurements of CWD pieces included length, diameter, volume, orientation to flow, and debris dam locations were surveyed. Wood sizes were a function of the frequency of debris dams, proportion of pools formed by wood, and variation of bankfull channel width. The frequency of debris dams increased downstream. The downstream increase of debris dams is a function of long-distance transport of CWD primarily by debris flow. Stream reaches intersecting partial wooded had longer woody debris pieces, more debris dams, and wood-formed pools compared to wooded and nonwooded reaches. The greater proportion of CWD pieces were parallel oriented to the stream channel. The proportion of pools formed by woody debris is low as compared to rural and forested streams. Changes in streambed processes and structure occurred in all debris dam locations and stable CWD sections. Channel widening associated with CWD was observed predominantly in the nonwooded site.--Abstract from author supplied metadata.