North Temperate Lakes LTER Northern Highland Lake District Coarse Woody Debris Docks

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important, but often neglected, component of lake ecosystems. It is ecologically valuable because it creates littoral habitat complexity but it is susceptible to manipulation by riparian process, in particular removal by property owners. The objective of this study is to determine the spatial scales at which human and environmental factors contribute to coarse woody debris input and output dynamics. Coarse woody debris, boat docks, and riparian trees (with the potential of becoming CWD) around the five lakes of the NTL-LTER site (Trout Lake, Allequash Lake (north basin), Sparkling Lake, Crystal Lake, and Big Muskellunge Lake) were measured in 1996 and 1997. Boat docks were located on all 5 lakes. Docks were verified in 1997 using digital orthophotos. GPS positions were adjusted to coincide with the photos. Many of the docks were photographed with a digital camera.