Why is someone dropping trees in stream

[NRD]

Hi all! New guy here. I bought my first fly rod in April. Now I have six. Retiring just in time for the 22 PA trout season.

Anyway, this year, my buddy/mentor and I have fished Middle Creek (Snyder Co), White Deer, and Penns Creek.

On the White Deer FFCR (State Forrest Land), we've seen multiple instances of someone cutting down trees and dropping them into/across the creek. WTF. Most of these appear to be an irrelevant hindrance to wading. I can't think of any contributing to trout habitat or security.

What I do see is these trees providing excellent access for Mink to dive bomb trout. Yes, I have seen Mink running these trees and I have caught scarred trout from pools with trees in them.

Can anyone explain what someone is trying to achieve here?

 

[hooker-of-men]

Why do you think they don't contribute to habitat/cover for fish? Some stream restoration projects certainly do what you're describing.

Though, I do think that's usually in areas that have been clear cut and have lost historically-present cover. In a state forest, I would think this cover and habitat should exist naturally from fallen trees (and that would also naturally accommodate the mink, which I think is less of a concern than suggested. If they want to eat trout, they will find a way regardless of the dude cutting down trees.)

Have you encountered the lumberjack in question?? If it's not someone from the state or someone from a group like TU who might be sanctioned to do such work, that seems pretty likely illegal on state land for reasons besides mink.

 

[troutbert]

It's done by DCNR. Streams in their natural condition had large amounts of large woody material (LWM) in them, which had great influences on the physical characteristics of the stream, including creation of holding water (pools and cover) for trout.

Nearly the entire state was logged off and the streams were often straightened and cleared of LWM so the stream channels could be used for running logs.

So the streams are often straight, simple channels with limited pools and cover. And the forests are mostly middle aged, and not yet creating much LWM. In time the forests will supply more LWM, but it would likely take a long time, maybe another 50 years or so.

So, they are jump starting the process, adding some LWM now to benefit trout habitat, and other things.

This has been done in the Pacific Northwest since around 1980 or so. But only begun recently here in PA. It took about 40 years to get across the country.

BTW, this was discussed in another thread on paflyfish.

 

[pcray1231]

In following hooker of men's theme...

 

[DaveKile]

NRD wrote:
Hi all! New guy here. I bought my first fly rod in April. Now I have six. Retiring just in time for the 22 PA trout season.

Anyway, this year, my buddy/mentor and I have fished Middle Creek (Snyder Co), White Deer, and Penns Creek.

On the White Deer FFCR (State Forrest Land), we've seen multiple instances of someone cutting down trees and dropping them into/across the creek. WTF. Most of these appear to be an irrelevant hindrance to wading. I can't think of any contributing to trout habitat or security.

What I do see is these trees providing excellent access for Mink to dive bomb trout. Yes, I have seen Mink running these trees and I have caught scarred trout from pools with trees in them.

Can anyone explain what someone is trying to achieve here?

As mentioned, this is a plan and executed by the state. It does make sense. I'm not sure if this is part of a study or now a new practice. I'll have to check this out to see where this is going and what other plans they have with this tree felling.

 

[Kevin82]

Wood is good.

https://youtu.be/HdrvwXUNaDg

https://youtu.be/8_u9MDovWZI

 

[afishinado]

Troutbert posted a link to this video dealing with woody debris in another thread. Go to the 7:00 minute mark to see the presentation on this subject >

 

[troutbert]

Kevin82 wrote:
Wood is good.

https://youtu.be/HdrvwXUNaDg

https://youtu.be/8_u9MDovWZI

These are good videos. The first is a nice, short introduction to the topic.

The second video is long, but it's quite good. It's about projects on PA streams.

It goes into a lot of detail. You can skip over some of the TU meeting stuff, and just listen to the large wood presentation.

 

[NRD]

Thanks for the vids !
Just what I wanted to know.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

hooker-of-men wrote:
Why do you think they don't contribute to habitat/cover for fish? Some stream restoration projects certainly do what you're describing.

Though, I do think that's usually in areas that have been clear cut and have lost historically-present cover. In a state forest, I would think this cover and habitat should exist naturally from fallen trees (and that would also naturally accommodate the mink, which I think is less of a concern than suggested. If they want to eat trout, they will find a way regardless of the dude cutting down trees.)

Have you encountered the lumberjack in question?? If it's not someone from the state or someone from a group like TU who might be sanctioned to do such work, that seems pretty likely illegal on state land for reasons besides mink.

Hooker, even in many state forest settings our forests are not mature enough to have significant input of woody material. The ash borer has helped in this regard in some watersheds, but ash trees do not seem to last long on the ground and de compose quickly. There has been a lot of research done throughout the country and the northeast on this work. In Pa, the active groups are WPC who is represented in one of the youtube videos shared above, TU staff out of their national office, DCNR in conjunction with PFBC. DCNR for example has guidance documents on how many trees to cut, felling angles, tree selection etc. If it continues to grow, this may be the best landscape wide approach to improving habitat on our brook trout streams.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Thank you for the follow up, lyco. I've been following along with the links and posts and learning a good deal. I stupidly assumed - not knowing the specific stream in question - that many state forests are first or at least old growth forests. Forgot how long the history of absolutely destroying the places we live runs back. Fantastic.