The Transience of Channel-Spanning Logjams in Mountain Streams

We use 11 years of annual surveys in streams of the Southern Rockies of Colorado, USA, to examine the persistence and geomorphic effects of logjams. Each year's survey includes similar to 300 logjams along more than 21 km of four mountain streams in primarily old-growth subalpine forest. Streams alternate longitudinally between laterally confined reaches with a single channel and wider reaches with multithread-channel planform. We distinguish logjam persistence and site persistence. Logjam persistence is the median timespan over which an individual jam is present. Site persistence describes the tendency for jams to disappear and then re-form at the same site. We hypothesize that (a) site persistence is greatest in multithread reaches, (b) logjam persistence is greatest in multithread reaches, and (c) average backwater storage at each jam is greater in multithread reaches. We find that spatial and temporal metrics of site persistence differ significantly between single and multithread reaches. Individual logjam persistence does not differ significantly. Backwater storage is significantly greater in multithread reaches. Varying combinations of riparian forest age and average logjams per channel length explain variation in jam and site persistence and backwater storage via multivariate linear regression analyses. Over the 11 years of survey, a total of 429 distinct logjams were observed. Only 2.1% of the population was present for all 11 annual surveys. Median jam persistence is 1-2.5 years; median site persistence is 6-10 years. Despite the transience of most channel-spanning logjams in the population, these jams create persistent effects in channel planform and backwater storage.

Automated summary

We used 11 years of annual surveys to examine the persistence and geomorphic effects of logjams in streams of the Southern Rockies of Colorado, USA. We found that site persistence and logjam persistence differ significantly between different types of river reaches, while backwater storage is significantly greater in multithread reaches. Riparian forest age and average logjams per channel length were found to explain variation in jam and site persistence and backwater storage.