Distribution and residence times of large woody debris along South River, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

Numerous studies on large woody debris (LWD) have focused on forested mountain streams located in the Pacific Northwest. Wood in these streams typically form log jams that have a profound impact on stream morphology, promoting channel stability and forcing pools. However, studies are sparse on larger rivers where LWD occurs primarily as individual pieces. Even less is known about the residence times of LWD in these settings. This study focuses on the use of dendrochronology to determine the rates of LWD recruitment and LWD residence times. Located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the South River is a fourth order stream with a drainage area of over 600 km2 at its confluence with the South Fork Shenandoah River. The riparian zone is dominated by agriculture. Agricultural land use creates a distribution of LWD unlike that of forested streams, consisting primarily of isolated pieces and small jams versus larger jams. Four species of trees are dominant at South River: sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), boxelder (Acer negundo) and black walnut (Juglans nigra). Average diameters of LWD are 32 cm with lengths averaging 6-7 m. At the South River, LWD has no influence on channel morphology, but wood traps fine-grained sediment (storing 16% of the river's annual load) and associated contaminants making it the most significant mechanism for storing clay and silt within the channel perimeter. Sixty to seventy-five percent of LWD occurs in pools, while 10-20% occurs in riffles. Most of the wood falls from adjacent banks by both natural processes and agricultural practices. Preliminary dating results indicate that LWD reside in the channel a minimum of 15 years.