Standing Stocks of Large Wood in Twelve Tributary Streams along the North Shore of Lake Superior

ABSTRACT

We quantified standing stocks of large wood in 12 streams along the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota during June—September 2007. All large pieces of wood (> 0.1 m in diameter for a portion > 1 m in length, n = 963) were measured. Standing stocks of large wood ranged from 0.01 to 0.48 piece/m, lower than most published values from around the world. Wood inputs to streams in northeastern Minnesota may be less than elsewhere due to differences in tree species, environmental conditions, and past forest management practices. Regardless of wood input rates, the standing stocks of wood in northeastern Minnesota may have been reduced by intentional wood removal.